The Tournament
by C. L. Furlong
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER UP! The quarterfinals are there and Razor has enrolled in them. Will he manage to survive the most evil villains of Megakat City? And, can T-Bone reach Farrell Manor in time to save his friend? What secrets lay behind Dark Kat's cape?
1. THE TOURNAMENT - Part One

TITLE: THE TOURNAMENT - PART ONE

AUTHORS: C. L. Furlong & Felicia McFurry

DATE: April 30, 2001

FINISHED: July 25, 2001

FINAL REVISION: July 28, 2001

E-MAILS: 

Chance_lizard_furlong@aeiou.pt

Riochet@msn.mail.com

RATING: R for violent content and strong language

SUMMARY: A failed battle with Dark Kat nearly drives T-Bone insane while Razor is toyed like a marionette in Dark Kat's paws. Will they manage to survive this deadly gamble?

DISCLAIMER: SWAT Kats and anything related to the series is property of Hanna-Barbera. No infringement is intended and no profit is gained with this fiction.

COMMENTS: Hello, SK fans! So... this is my first co-authored work. I must thank my co-author for having that excellent basal idea for this fic. Really, I wouldn't have thought of something like this but right then when Felicia told me about it I knew the idea was... juicy... Well, here's the juice of it. Most of it was written by me as you might notice by the style of writing although Felicia's ideas revealed crucial at some steps, since writer's block affected me thoroughly during this part (writer's blocks... don't you just hate 'em?). Well, that's it, really. I won't keep you much longer. I hope this fic is enjoyable. A little note: some scenes of this part are quite gory. If you're really not fond of seeing (or reading about, for that matter) the vital fluid, then I would recommend reader discretion. Oh, I hope you don't crucify me for the ending of this part (it was my idea, really, so spare poor Felicia, okay)... This fiction is, thus, unrelated to my regular "Final Resistance" series. C. U. all, SK fans!

(1)Very experienced master.

(2)Honored master.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

THE TOURNAMENT - PART ONE

Razor ran towards the sandbag and delivered a fly kick to it. T-Bone was behind the sandbag, holding it in its place and absorbed part of Razor's blow.

"C'mon, bud! Can't you kick any harder than that?" – he teased.

"You asked for it…" – Razor said as he stepped back a few meters.

He flexed his back muscles and ran towards the sandbag. He jumped into the air and screamed a high-pitched _kat-rate_ cry. The impact of his foot against the sandbag was tremendous but T-Bone held it tightly in place. Razor landed and looked a bit surprised. T-Bone just grinned to his friend.

"Thought you'd throw me back with the sandbag like the last time, didn't you?"

"It crossed my mind…" – the slim kat admitted, grinning back to T-Bone.

Suddenly, the giant screen of their hangar flickered to life and the aging face of Prof. Hackle appeared.

"SWAT Kats! Come in! SWAT Kats!"

Both SWAT Kats ran to the screen. Prof. Hackle's face seemed distressed.

"What's up, Professor?" – Razor asked. The image trembled and flickered off for a moment, coming back a second later.

"Dark Kat is attacking my laboratory…" – the screen flickered again – "… shields on backup power…" – another burst of static – "… much more…"

The screen went black. T-Bone and Razor exchanged glances and ran towards the TurboKat. In a few seconds, the skies filled with the roar of the black jet fighter. T-Bone set the course to Prof. Hackle's lab, near the rocky shore off Megakat City.

"What do you think Dark Crud wants with the Professor, Razor?" – T-Bone asked as he engaged the afterburners.

"Beats me, buddy. But if Dark Kat gets his paws on the Professor's gizmos, there's no telling what he can do with them!"

"Then we better hurry! For what I got from the Professor's message, his shields were growing weaker by the moment!"

"You got it, bud. Step on it!"

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"Keep moving! We've got him now!" – Dark Kat bellowed to his ninjas.

They kept blasting the invisible shield surrounding the lab with mortars. The barrier held the explosions but it was growing weaker and thinner as the power generators were worn out.

"It was a good idea to break into Hackle's lab. He might have something to help me out with the Tournament." – Dark Kat thought as he grinned in anticipation.

Suddenly, he pricked his ears. A sound. That sound! He spun his head and saw the dark spot in the sky. He narrowed his eyes.

"The SWAT Kats!" – he hissed – "They're always meddling with my plans! Will I never be rid of those infernal vigilantes?"

He turned to his ninjas and roared.

"HIDE AND AMBUSH!"

The black-dressed kats stopped the shooting and swiftly hid among the halophyte vegetation around the lab.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

T-Bone engaged the VTOL engines of the TurboKat and landed softly on the white sandy beach in front of the orange sandstone cliff that housed Prof. Hackle's lab on its top. He popped the canopy and stared at the cliff for a while. Razor jumped down to the beach, followed by his burly partner.

"Seems pretty quiet!" – Razor said, looking around the beach.

There was nothing at sight. The only sound was that of the surf, rolling calmly over the shore. Razor's ears spun around, trying to get some other sound but nothing broke the quietness of the landscape.

"Too quiet!" – T-Bone mumbled.

He kept looking at the cliff as if entranced by the orange rock outcrop. Something glistened among the foliage of the vegetation. Then a hissing sound came to his ears. T-Bone widened his eyes and lunged to Razor, knocking the slim SWAT Kat on the sand. Behind him, the TurboKat exploded in flames as a rocket crashed into it. Searing shards of black metal flew off in every direction. Some of them met T-Bone's back and legs, ripping through the clothes and muscles of the big SWAT Kat. He groaned as the hot pieces of metal crisscrossed his body.

He got away from Razor and stood on his feet. Razor stood up by his side, oblivious to the flaming jet fighter. He spotted the dark forms rushing towards them. They assumed fighting stands and prepared for battle, tensing every muscle fiber in their bodies.

Soon they were face to face with Dark Kat's ninjas. The three black-dressed kats didn't attack. They waited for Dark Kat to get to them. T-Bone and Razor tensed and hardened their faces when they saw Dark Kat approaching.

"He's mine!" – T-Bone muttered to Razor. He ran to the ninjas and somersaulted over their heads, running to the purple kat.

Razor began attacking the ninjas as hard as he could. With a roundhouse kick he managed to make the three fall to the sand. He then sped away from them in the sand. They followed him.

"That's it, guys… Come after me!" – he thought, a plan already forming in his mind.

T-Bone jumped towards Dark Kat and prepared a fly kick but the purple kat was prepared and blocked the kick perfectly, grabbing T-Bone's right leg. He dug his black claws on his thigh and dragged them down across the muscle, ripping it. T-Bone roared in pain as gushes of blood spurted from his leg.

Razor heard T-Bone's scream and looked behind. He saw the big tabby falling to the sand. Then he saw Dark Kat deliver a blow to T-Bone's head. He looked to his pursuers. His plan was working. They were in a line, the fastest in the front and the slowest behind. He suddenly spun around and kicked the first ninja, causing him to fall back. He then started running again.

T-Bone looked to Dark Kat but the blow the huge kat had given him opened a gash on his right eyebrow, from where blood came out over his eyelid, partially blinding him. He stood on his feet and tried to punch Dark Kat but is vision played tricks on him. Dark Kat avoided his blows.

"Is this the best you can do, SWAT Kat?" – he taunted.

T-Bone growled and swept the blood off his eye. He threw a punch to Dark Kat's gut and then another to his chest that drew all the air out of his lungs. The purple kat backhanded T-Bone's face and his rings ripped the big tabby's cheek.

Razor spun around and delivered another blow to the second ninja. He fell to the ground too but the third ninja was too close for him to use the same strategy once again. The ninja fly-kicked Razor in his chest, sending him flying back and knocking him to the sand. Razor got rapidly to his feet and did a reverse kick with his right foot to the ninja's gut. In the same fluid motion, he raised his left foot and kicked the ninja's chin, flipping back and landing on his feet.

Dark Kat watched as his ninjas were easily defeated by the slim SWAT Kat. A smile came to his lips as an idea lit on his brain.

T-Bone aimed his glovatrix at Dark Kat.

" Deploy Mini Megatons…" – he said as the little explosive head pricked on the middle barrel of his glovatrix.

Dark Kat saw it and kicked T-Bone's arm when he shot. The explosive fired from the glovatrix in an arc into the sky.

The explosive hit the ground near Razor and blew up, sending him high through the air, flipping head over heels. He screamed in surprise and pain as shards of the missile riveted in his right leg.

T-Bone spun around and saw Razor flying through the air and landing hard in a lump on the sand. He wiped the blinding blood from his eyebrow and ran to his partner, the fight with Dark Kat already forgotten.

"RAZOR! NOOOOO!" – he shouted in despair.

Razor lied limply in the sand, not moving. His right leg was bleeding badly and soaking the sand around it.

"NO!" – T-Bone thought as he ran and limped as fast as his wounds allowed him towards his friend. – "He's not moving! He's… No! It can't be true!"

He kept running and limping towards Razor but he never reached him. The three ninjas abruptly stood between T-Bone and Razor.

"OUTTA MY WAY!" – he bellowed as he charged against the threesome but they held the barrier tightly.

One of them punched T-Bone in his ribs as another backhanded him in the face with his fist closed. T-Bone spurted some bloody saliva with the blows he received. Two of the ninjas took the chance and grabbed T-Bone's arms from behind, completely exposing his body. The third ninja swooped his right foot against T-Bone's cheek. In the same fluid motion, he punched the big tabby right bellow the midriff, making him double over himself as he gasped some blood. Continuing his deadly choreography, the ninja rammed his knee against the big SWAT Kat's snout. Blood and saliva flew off T-Bone's muzzle in an arc as his head jerked back.

T-Bone was rapidly loosing his senses. He couldn't take much more of those blows. The ninja extended his claws and swished them across T-Bone's face and chest, ripping his G-suit and his flesh, tearing big gashes from where the red vital fluid spurted. The ninja somersaulted back and delivered a powerful kick on T-Bone's chin, making him bend his head back painfully.

The two ninjas released T-Bone from their grip and the big tabby knelt on the sand, exhausted and in pain. They kicked T-Bone's gut again and again. The sand around the big tabby's head was dyed in red from the blood he vomited with each kick. He couldn't take it anymore. With clouded eyes he looked to Razor, still a blue lump over the blood red sand. He painfully extended his right arm towards his friend.

"Razor…" – he said in a whisper. Then his world turned darker and darker. T-Bone slowly gave in to the blessed darkness that invaded his mind.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Razor woke up and shook his head to clear the dizziness off his mind. His vision was still clouded and he didn't pay much attention to the blue lump a few feet ahead of him. Only a few moments later did he recognize the unconscious form of his best friend lying in a mound of red sand.

"T-BONE!" – he shouted as he awkwardly got to his feet. 

His right leg was badly injured. He could only limp towards T-Bone. Shock filled his face when he saw the sand around the burly SWAT Kat dyed in dark red. The ninjas spun their heads to face the slim SWAT Kat but Razor didn't pay attention to them. T-Bone was everything that mattered to him now.

"He's not moving!" – he thought – "I can't see his chest moving! What did those butchers do to him?"

He was about to reach T-Bone when the three ninjas grabbed him and drifted him away from his friend. Razor felt a wave of agony overwhelming him. There he was, so close to help his friend and yet so far away. He struggled to burst free from his attackers but his strength was fading away as the blood exited through his wounds.

"NO! T-BONE! LET ME GO, YOU CREEPS!" – he shouted as he struggled but the three ninjas held their grip tightly and dragged him away from T-Bone – "T-BONE! SPEAK TO ME! T-BOOOONE!"

Razor suddenly felt a bump and a sharp pain on the back of his skull. He began seeing the corners of his vision turn jet-black. In a few seconds, his body hung limply on the paws of his captors. T-Bone's blood covered body was the last image Razor's brain registered.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Cold. His body felt cold. 

And wet. Cold and wet. 

And salty. Cold, wet and salty.

T-Bone slowly regained his consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw something whitish come towards him. It slapped him in his face. He swallowed it and choked. He heaved his bulk and coughed, trying to clean his lungs from the fluid. The coldness and wetness enveloped him like a heavy blanket.

He looked around to get his bearings. He was in the surf zone. The tide had crept up the shore and the waves were bathing his injured body, causing his wounds to burn slightly.

He got up to his feet and staggered a few steps in the surf. He inspected the beach. It was deserted. There were no signs of life. The flaming remains of the TurboKat were the only alien objects in the sandy crescent.

"RAZOR!" - he shouted but his voice was hoarse. - "RAZOR!"

He walked a few uneasy steps over the wet sand, looking around, hoping to see his friend.

"RAZOR! HIT ME BACK!" - his voice was filled with despair. Razor was nowhere to be found.

He limped and staggered across the surf, which came back and forth in a dizzying parabolic movement. He lost his stand and knelt on the drenched sand. All his body hurt and his wounds were still open, allowing the blood to escape from his arteries and into the environment.

A large breaker came rolling to the beach and dragged T-Bone with it. He fought to regain his stand but his strength grew weaker by the minute. He choked again on the water and with almost a superfeline effort the big tabby managed to drag himself to shore, out of the reach of the raging breakers. He stood on all fours and coughed until his abs nearly ached.

He rolled and stood on his back, panting, his chest lifting and abating wildly, arms spread out wide. Suddenly, something warm and salty started rolling down his face. Teardrops. He clenched his eyes. He kept seeing Razor being thrown up into the air and landing in a mound of red sand in his mind.

"No…" – he winced.

He sat up straight in the sand and got up to his feet. Again he scanned the white sandy crescent, searching for his friend.

But it was hopeless.

He dropped to his knees and clenched his fists and his teeth. Heavy tears streamed down his face.

"NO!" – he screamed in a despaired voice, smacking his closed fists on the sand. – "NO, NO, NO, *NO*!"

He stopped the beating and sobbed a bit while the hard realization seeped down in his mind.

"I… I… killed him…" – he sobbed.

He doubled over his knees and stood on all fours, hanging his head. Tears ran down directly to the sand, soaking it.

"I killed my brother…"

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"T-Bone?" – a voice said from behind the big SWAT Kat. He felt a paw lying on his right shoulder – "Is everything alright with you?"

For a second, hope glimmered in T-Bone's eyes. He suddenly looked up to his right.

"Razor?" – he said.

The sun was right behind the head of the kat, turning his features unrecognizable. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight with his right paw. He could discern a bit more the features of the kat. The long fur on each side of his face made his heart thump stronger in his chest.

"Razor! It's you!" – T-Bone said as he got to his feet.

Only then, T-Bone noticed the kat's white lab coat. It wasn't Razor after all.

"No, T-Bone. I'm not Razor." – the aging kat informed.

A shadow cast upon T-Bone's face when he recognized Prof. Hackle. Behind him stood Cybertron, now already rebuilt and fully operational.

"Prof. Hackle…"

"What's wrong, T-Bone? Where's your partner?" – Prof. Hackle queried, looking around and inspecting the beach.

T-Bone winced and looked away from Prof. Hackle. Again, he saw Razor flipping through the air, blood gushing from his leg. T-Bone closed his eyes and a tear involuntarily trickled down his facial fur. Prof. Hackle noticed it.

"Don't tell me he's…" – the graying kat started. T-Bone shuddered and knelt on the sand.

"Did Dark Kat…"

"No." – T-Bone managed to say through clenched teeth – "It wasn't Dark Kat…"

"Then who…"

"Me…"

Prof. Hackle opened his mouth in disbelief. Then he shook his head and passed an arm over T-Bone's shoulders.

"Calm down, T-Bone. I'm sure it wasn't you…"

T-Bone slapped Prof. Hackle's arm off his shoulders and looked intensely to the aging kat.

"Of course it was me! I killed him! It was all my fault!"

"Come now, T-Bone. I'm sure Razor isn't dead…"

"Then where is he? TELL ME, WHERE IS HE?" – T-Bone shouted as tears streamed down his face. T-Bone cleaned the wetness off his face and walked away, limping as he went.

"T-Bone, where are you going? You're in no conditions to leave!" – Prof. Hackle said as he hurried to the big tabby.

"I'm fine. Razor, on the other paw, isn't…" – T-Bone said as he went to the sea, towards the charred remains of the TurboKat.

"You're not going anywhere unless to a stretcher to be healed."

"Not until I find Razor's body."

"You're delirious, T-Bone! Those wounds must be already infected!"

"Are you deaf, Hackle? I said I'm fine!" – T-Bone snapped back as he suddenly turned around to face Prof. Hackle. He just felt something stinging his left biceps. He looked down and saw a little dart riveted in the muscle. Abruptly, he fell all his body numbing and, seconds later, passed out.

"I'm sorry, T-Bone, but this had to be done. Cybertron! Go get him before he drowns in the surf."

The short metallic robot acknowledged and went to the surf zone, picking up T-Bone's unconscious form. Together, kat and robot climbed up the steps carved in the orange rock outcrop, leading to Prof. Hackle's laboratory.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"You think you're so good, SWAT Kat… but you're not!" – Dark Kat said to T-Bone as he kicked the burly SWAT Kat's stomach.

T-Bone rolled on the ground and quickly stood up to his feet. He ran to Dark Kat and flying-kicked him in the face. The purple kat fell over his back.

"Get up, you slime ball!" – T-Bone roared as he jumped onto Dark Kat's chest and punched his face. Dark Kat's already purple face was even more purple than usual, his black blood oozing from his nose, mouth and the cuts T-Bone's claws and fists had opened in his forehead and cheeks.

"Where's Razor?" – T-Bone snarled as he grabbed Dark Kat's collar with both fists, shaking the purple kat's head.

"H-he… He's…" – Dark Kat babbled.

"*Where*? – T-Bone asked, approaching his face to Dark Kat's, their snouts almost touching.

"He's… He's…" – Dark Kat stuttered as he gasped some black blood.

"WHERE, DAMN YOU? – T-Bone roared.

"He's… up your… tailhole…"

"Wrong answer." – T-Bone responded as he drew his arm back and punched Dark Kat's face again with all his might.

After a few more seconds of facial massage, Dark Kat's face was a complete mess. His jaw was broken, along with his nose. Black blood spurted from nearly everywhere in his face.

"You're worthless, Dark Crud." – T-Bone said as he got off Dark Kat. The big tabby stepped away from the huge lump in the ground – "You don't deserve to keep living."

T-Bone aimed his glovatrix to the purple kat, which was still lying in the ground.

"Goodbye, Dark Crud. Deploy Mini Baby Boomer Missiles."

Nanoseconds later, an explosion lit up the place as it made its roar heard. T-Bone covered his face with his arm. When the debris stopped falling and the smoke and the dust settled down, he looked to where Dark Kat's corpse was supposed to be.

He gasped as he widened his eyes. His mouth felt suddenly dry. His lower jaw moved and a word was articulated though no sound was heard.

"RAZOR!" – T-Bone screamed as he rushed to the dead body of his friend.

Razor was lying in a pool of his own blood. His G-suit was torn open in so many places it did a poor job covering the remains of the slim kat. His skull was visible in shreds in his battered head. His eyes were black and empty, with trails of blood trickling down from each eye socket.

T-Bone knelt beside Razor's corpse, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Razor…" – he whispered – "It can't be you, bro, it can't be you!"

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists and teeth.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

T-Bone suddenly sat upright on the stretcher, eyes unfocused. He blinked a few times until he looked around to get his bearings. He was in some kind of laboratory. Then it struck him. It was a nightmare.

"Just a nightmare… It was just a nightmare…" – T-Bone whispered. Only a few seconds later did he see Prof. Hackle a few feet away from his stretcher, looking down worriedly at him.

"Is everything okay, T-Bone?" – Prof. Hackle asked as he headed for the big tabby.

T-Bone shook his head yes. His breathing and heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

"I took the liberty of running a few tests on you while you were unconscious." – the aging kat said – "I hope you don't mind my intromission but I thought…"

"It's okay, professor…" – T-Bone said and leaned back on the stretcher.

"I do hope you forgive my rather… violent… behavior down there…" – the aging kat sheepishly said, eyes boring holes in the ground.

"If you mean the dart, forget about it, professor… I know I have…" – T-Bone soothed.

"Well, you were banged up pretty bad, you know?" – Prof. Hackle said, changing the subject – "Some of your wounds** ***were***** infected but my robots have taken good care of you. Just don't move too much in order not to break the stitches, will you?"

"What? I'm stitched?" – T-Bone asked, surprised.

"It had to be. Some of your wounds were just too deep. You also lost an appreciable amount of blood but nothing a few days of rest won't…"

"Rest… HA! I'll be having lots of that… Razor's dead… The SWAT Kats are…" – he couldn't go on. He was fighting against his emotions.

"Don't think of it anymore, T-Bone! It's not good for you…"

"Can't you see, professor? I *did* it! I *murdered* Razor!"

"No, you didn't! You can't possibly have done it! You two are like brothers…"

"That's why it's so unbearable, professor… To know that we were like brothers and even so I killed him…"

Prof. Hackle knew when he was beaten. He couldn't argue against facts! Razor was missing and T-Bone had shot him.

"Just try to relax… Please… My robots will take care of you." – With that, the aging kat turned on his heel and left the laboratory.

T-Bone saw two robots coming to him. One of them stuck the needle of a syringe in his right arm. Again, T-Bone fell asleep under the effects of the anesthetic.

"I'm sorry, Jake… I'm sorry… Please, forgive me, bro… Please, forgive me…" – T-Bone thought as he slowly gave in to the darkness that invaded his mind.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Razor woke up with his face stuck to some oozy reddish-brown fluid, which streamed down his features. He shook his head in order to get rid of the sludge but his head started throbbing in pain.

"Oooooh… My head…" – he complained – "Feels like a hydrogen bomb had exploded inside my skull…"

He opened his eyes and scanned the obscurity surrounding him. He couldn't see much but there was nothing to be seen anyway. Just four solid walls surrounded him. Behind him and high in the wall was a narrow horizontal barred window with no glass. He could see the stars glittering in the dark skies.

"It's night already… I wonder how long have I been out… And where the heck I am…"

The image of T-Bone lying in the sand, bleeding to death stung his mind.

"Chance..." – he whispered – "I can't believe you're…" – He didn't want to say the word. Tears slid from his eyes and down his facial fur. He swiftly cleaned the wetness off his face.

"I gotta get outta here… Before Dark Kat kills me too… Like he did to you, Chance… I swear he's gonna pay for that, big bro…"

Suddenly, his cell's door opened and a burst of light invaded the exiguous room, blinding Razor temporarily. The slim SWAT Kat raised a paw and covered his eyes. He saw a bulky shadow at the door.

"I'm glad you woke up. I feared my kats had killed you." – a rumbling voice boomed.

Razor could recognize that voice blind, deaf and dumb.

Dark Kat.

Razor roared and lunged towards Dark Kat. Suddenly, his body was stopped and jerked back. He collapsed to the ground with a muddy splash. He felt his left leg burning.

Dark Kat didn't move a single muscle. Instead, he just grinned and started laughing.

"Honestly, SWAT Kat… You think I'd be *that* stupid so as to leave you unrestrained?" – he made a heartbroken face – "Sincerely, I *do* take offense on that!"

Dark Kat approached Razor and kicked his gut, sending the slim kat rolling to the opposite wall. Razor coughed and gasped some blood. He looked up to the purple kat and saw his eyes blazing bright orange, like two coals on fire in the gloom in which his body was bathed.

"I have a proposition for you, SWAT Kat." – Dark Kat oozed.

Razor sat on the muddy ground and groped his injured leg. He spat to Dark Kat's feet.

"I'm not interested." – he hissed. Dark Kat just chuckled.

"Listen first and then you'll decide. I saw the way you fought my ninjas today."

"So?" – Razor asked as he inspected his right leg. His wounds were disinfected and dressed. He cocked one eyebrow under his mask.

"Dark Kat healed my wounds?" – he thought – "Why?"

"Every four years an underground event takes place in Megakat City."

"What event?"

"It's simply called 'The Tournament'. Basically, it's a fighting championship among every villain, punk and thug of this city. It is used to establish a hierarchy among the contestants. As in so many things in life, the winner takes it all, and that 'all' is the respect of all the other contestants. As you might imagine, I've won quite a few myself. That is how I conquered my reputation in this city." – Dark Kat said as he smiled.

"As a hooded smooth-spoken wimp?" – Razor spat with a shade of a mocking grin in his lips.

Dark Kat's eyes blazed and his smile vanished from his face. However, he didn't attack Razor for his comment.

"As the most brilliant and feared criminal mastermind of Megakat City... Probably of this entire planet!" - The purple kat corrected Razor.

"An ego the size of the galaxy, I see..." – Razor muttered as he inspected his left leg, which was bind to the floor by means of a chain. He grabbed the chain and tugged it, testing its resistance.

Dark Kat just closed his eyes and chuckled softly while he shook his head.

"You have no respect for me, do you?" – he asked the slim SWAT Kat.

"Should I?" – Razor snapped – "After what you did to T-Bone?"

"He had what he deserved..."

Razor growled and showed his fangs in disgust.

"MURDERER!" – he shouted as he got to his feet – "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FILTHY MURDERER!"

May I learn the accusation impending over my head now?" – Dark Kat oozed. Razor gritted his teeth.

"Don't play stupid with me, you purple crud. You killed my partner back there, in the beach." – Razor snarled, clenching his fists and narrowing his eyes.

"What?" – the huge kat asked, confused – "I didn't kill him! My ninjas just taught him a good lesson but didn't kill him!"

"How can you say that? I saw the blood in the sand! I saw his chest immobile. YOU KILLED HIM!"

"I assure you your partner's as alive as you or me." – Dark Kat said, raising his right paw in the air and turning its palm to Razor.

"LIAR!" – Razor shouted.

"That's enough." – Dark Kat grabbed Razor by his chin and lifted him up in the air – "Just for your knowledge, you should be *dead* by now if I didn't need you!"

"Need... me?..." – Razor managed to ask.

Dark Kat released Razor from his grip and the SWAT Kat fell to the ground with a muddy splash, landing on his tail.

"Yes. I want you to fight under my flag in this year's Tournament."

"What?" – Razor asked in disbelief.

"Exactly what you heard. You'll have the honor to fight some of the most dangerous criminals of this town for me."

"You gotta be joking! No! You flipped! That's it! You're crazy!"

Dar Kat clenched his fists. For less than that he had already killed many kats. He closed his eyes and swallowed his anger. From somewhere inside his cloak, he retrieved a small test tube filled with a dark red fluid and shoved it into Razor's snout.

"And, what's just *that* supposed to be?" – Razor said, defiantly. Dark Kat just grinned.

"It's a sample of your blood."

"What?" – Razor hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"Now you have two choices, SWAT Kat. Either you choose to work for me or you choose to have your identity revealed to every ruffian in this city!"

Razor gulped. Dark Kat must have retrieved the blood when he was unconscious.

"Why didn't you just took off my mask?"

"It wouldn't be half the fun and the satisfaction that way!" – Dark Kat said. He closed his eyes and grinned, chuckling mischievously. – "To know I have you in my paws just because of a few drops of blood..."

"Give me that!" – Razor hissed as he tried to grab the vial from Dark Kat's paw but the chain restraining his leg stopped him again.

"Now..." – Dark Kat leaned his head to the side, as though in deep thought – "What would be the consequences if your identity was to be released? Let's see... Oh, yes... Your life would be at stake!" – he oozed.

"I can live with that! I'm not working for you!" – Razor stated out, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Aren't you forgetting something? Like your family... Or even your partner... If the identity of one SWAT Kat were known, the other's life would be at stake too! Imagine how simple it would be to snipe your partner knowing who he really is... Would you like to see the corpses of both your partner and your family just because you didn't want to work for me? Could you bear to carry that burden for the rest of your life?"

Razor closed his eyes and clenched his fists and teeth.

"I have no escape..." – he thought to himself – "I'm in his paws... I can't risk my relatives' lives... Nor Chance's... CRUD!"

"So, SWAT Kat... What's it gonna be? Either you work for me or everybody you know dies..." – Dark Kat's rumbling voice boomed in the tiny cubicle.

Razor sighed and dropped his head and arms in resigned defeat.

"I'll do what you want... I'll enter the Tournament for you..."

Dark Kat's roar of laughter echoed along the entire mansion as it mingled with the distant roar of thunder of an approaching storm.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"Your wounds will heal if you give them enough time, T-Bone." – Prof. Hackle said to the big tabby, who was already up. It was six o'clock in the morning and both kats stared at the rising sun over due east.

"I've had worst injuries before, professor." – he stated as he looked down the balcony of the lab, towards the remains of the black fighter jet. He shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I've lost everything..." – he thought – "Jake, the TurboKat, the SWAT Kats, my health..." – he sighed – "Now, I'm truly alone..."

He kept in silence for a while before cocking his head towards the rising sun.

"I wonder where his body is..." – T-Bone asked, rhetorically.

"Maybe the tide had carried him away. The tides are quite vigorous in this creek, you know? Besides, this night's storm didn't help anything. The waves were breaking directly into the cliff." – Prof. Hackle informed. T-Bone just nodded.

"Then he belongs to the sea now..." – he shook his head – "His family's gonna kill me..."

"You'd rather I tell them? – Prof. Hackle proposed.

"No... It's my duty..." – the big tabby looked to the sea again – "I should be heading back. I've taken too much of your time already."

"Sure you don't want to stay a bit longer until your injuries are completely healed?" – the aging kat asked.

"I really can't..."

"Well, you're not walking back to the city. Wait a minute here." – Prof. Hackle said as he disappeared inside his lab. The graying kat returned with a jetpack in his paws.

"I made this quite a while ago but it still works perfectly." – he panted, handing T-Bone the jetpack. T-Bone slipped the jetpack onto his back and inspected it for a while.

"You know how to handle it?" – Prof. Hackle asked. T-Bone nodded.

"I think so. The controls are very similar to our own jetpacks'. Thanks for everything, professor. I'll be seeing you."

T-Bone engaged the jets and flew off Prof. Hackle's laboratory. The aging kat stared as the SWAT Kat disappeared from his sight.

"Cybertron!"

The short robot replied some electronic sounds in acknowledgement and went to Prof. Hackle.

"We've got work to do." – the inventor said, looking to the charred and wave-battered remains of the black fighter jet still lying in the sandy crescent.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Razor raised his head from his knees, which he was embracing. Bloodshot eyes looked outside the barred opening in the wall of his gaol, to the clearing skies. He was sitting in the ground, in a place not too muddy. Last night's storm formed a small cascade that streamed from the window and down the dark stony wall, turning the few dry dirt into oozy mud. He felt a shiver and wondered how he didn't have pneumonia with his soaking wet G-suit on. His injuries in his right leg were throbbing in pain. He groped his forehead and felt the fever burn his palm. He jerked his head towards the door when someone inserted and turned the key, opening the heavy wooden door.

"Good morning. Did you sleep?" – one of Dark Kat's ninjas asked after taking two steps inside the cell.

Razor coughed twice and shook his head in a negative. The ninja smiled under his mask.

"You will tonight... I guarantee it... C'mon, we've got a lot to do." – the ninja said. He went to Razor and opened the lock on the shackle that restrained Razor. He looked to the slim kat's leg. – "How's your leg today?"

"Burning." – Razor answered while the ninja rolled up Razor's trousers and inspected the compresses – "What's your name?"

"I can't tell. It's against the code of _ninjutsu_." – the ninja stated out as he poked the compresses on Razor's leg. The slim kat winced.

"I understand." – Razor said – "Then, how should I call you?"

"You don't call me anything!" – the ninja shrugged – "I have no name for you. These are infected... Dark Kat shouldn't have left you here while these wounds weren't healed yet..."

"Well, actually Dark Crud isn't the most sensitive kat in the world..." – Razor said, sardonically. He watched the ninja closely. – "You're the ninja that hit me yesterday!"

"Yeah, it's me. Nice back flip you gave me. Where did you learn it?"

"Can't tell..." – Razor responded as a shadow cast over his eyes.

"Well, I can't do much here. Come with me to the infirmary." – the ninja ordered.

They went out of the cell and walked along a gloomy rock corridor before climbing up a few steps. Razor covered his face with his arm in order to protect his eyes from the luminosity that bathed the hall of the mansion. He looked to the ninja. The black-dressed kat didn't seem disturbed by the light.

"Aren't you afraid I might escape?" – Razor asked as he raised his paws – "You didn't even cuff me!"

"Where would you go in your present condition? You wouldn't resist much time with your wounds infected."

"Where are we?"

"In the countryside, several kilometer away from Megakat City.

"I see..."

The ninja stopped and opened a wooden door, motioning Razor inside.

"Sit in that stretcher. I'll be here in a minute."

Razor did so and waited for the ninja. He could have taken the chance to escape but the ninja's words came to his mind. He was right. He wouldn't go far in his condition. He felt his wounds burning even more and pounding against the compresses as new red blots appeared over the brownish ones.

"Crud. This walk must've opened the wounds... How can I fight someone with my leg like this?"

"Okay. Here we go!" – the ninja said.

Razor widened his eyes in disbelief. The black-dressed kat now wore a white coat, white latex gloves and a green surgical mask in an attempt to hide his face.

"What the... You're a doctor?" – Razor asked, incredulously.

"Surely you didn't think being a ninja consumed all my time, did you?"

With only his green mask on, Razor could appreciate a bit more the kat's features. His eyes were browns as his fur was. His fur had some gray tufts in it. Razor calculated the kat must have been in his forties now.

"Forty years old and he kicked me that hard?" – he thought – "And, here he stands as if nothing had hit him yesterday... Amazing!"

"Lie down, please." – the ninja asked.

Razor blinked twice as he was brought back from his thoughts before complying. The ninja cut the leg of Razor's trousers and removed the compresses. He peered at the wounds and poked them, making the slim kat wince. The wounds presented a purple color. Some of them were purulent and some drained a translucent fluid.

"How's it looking?" – Razor asked.

"This might hurt a bit."

Razor clenched his teeth and tensed every muscle when the ninja cleaned the first wound.

"Stand still."

"You... got it... doc..." – Razor responded through clenched teeth.

The ninja cleaned the remaining wounds of the purulent material and then turned to get some disinfectant.

"This *will* burn a bit." – the ninja warned.

"Bring it on..."

After his wounds were disinfected, Razor felt many stings in his leg.

"What are you doing?" – he asked.

"Stand still, please." – was his only answer.

Razor held his curiosity and the impulse to stand up and see what was being done.

"It's probably better if I don't now..." – he thought.

"There. It's done." – the ninja turned to Razor – "Now you mustn't move too much, else, the stitches will break."

"Stitches? What stitches?" – he couldn't believe the ninja had stitched him without even a local anesthesia.

The ninja placed the lid on a pot of a bluish balm Razor hadn't noticed before and placed it inside a drawer.

"What's that?" – Razor asked.

"It's a homemade medicine I use to prescribe to my patients. I make it myself. Your wounds will have healed by tomorrow morning. Now, please, try to relax a bit." – the ninja said and walked out of the infirmary.

"Hey!" – Razor called him.

"Yes?" – he asked, placing his head inside the room.

"Thanks... _kyoshi_(1)..."

The ninja widened his eyes for a second before nodding once and closing the door.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

T-Bone reached the perimeter of the Salvage Yard and pressed a button on his glovatrix, which opened the door to the underground tunnel. He penetrated the tunnel and flew through it until he reached the underground hangar.

He looked to the empty hangar. His imagination made him see Razor wherever he looked.

There he was, repairing the TurboKat. Or leaning over a magnifying glass in one of the workbenches, tampering with some missile or other weapon. Or even jumping to the air and delivering a flying kick to an invisible opponent, flipping forward and reverse kicking another, rolling over and applying a roundhouse kick to another one.

T-Bone sighed and headed for their lockers. He stared at the door marked with an 'R' painted with black ink. He passed his fingers over the letter, softly. He suddenly punched the metallic door, making a dent on it.

"Damn it..." – he said – "Damn it, *damn it*, DAMN IT!" – he shouted as he pounded his fist against the metal door. He took off his helmet and mask and dropped them to the floor.

"We haven't returned safe and sound this time, buddy..."

He knelt on the cold concrete floor of the hangar in front of Razor's locker.

"We talked about this so many times... What we should do if one of us ever got killed... But those were just words... I never thought this day would come... Crud, we defied death so many times together...

Save the city...

Protect the innocent...

Heroes...

It all seems so vague and senseless now...

And, was it worth it? Was it worth your life, Jake? WAS IT WORTH YOUR LIFE?"

Chance looked up and closed his eyes. He clenched his teeth and his fists, his claws piercing through the gloves and his skin. Heavy tears streamed down his face as some blood drops trickled down his closed fists, dripping to the ground.

"And, the worst thing is... It was I... I killed you, Jake... I did it... I DAMN F*CK*NG DID IT, JAKE!

How could I... How could I be so clumsy... We had each other's lives in our paws and I simply let yours drop from mine!

I was blind! I wanted so much to finish off Dark Kat I got myself blind! And, I paid dearly for that blindness... I killed you, Jake. You, Jake, my brother... 

You, who were always here for me... 

You, who always helped me out... 

You, who always advised me... 

You, who were always here to stop me from doing something wrong every time I lost my temper...

And, how did I repay it to you? I killed you... I... murdered... you..."

He looked down to his battered G-suit.

"And this... This thing... This thing all over me..."

He growled and ripped his G-suit off his body, tearing it apart.

"Get off! GET OFF!"

He stared at his shredded G-suit in his paws. He grimaced in disgust.

"You... You're the one responsible for this..."

He tossed the shreds away and stared intensely to them, growling, eyes burning in a rage he couldn't contain nor fully comprehend.

"The SWAT Kats... The Radical Squadron..." – he hissed. He closed his eyes shut and shuddered, trying to contain the rage. But he couldn't.

"MURDERER!" – he roared, opening his eyes – "Murderer... T-Bone is a murderer... T-Bone is no better than Dark Kat..."

He closed his eyes again and dropped his head over his chest.

Chance Furlong is no better than Dark Kat... Chance Furlong is... an assassin..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"What's up, Chance? You're so gloomy today!" – Callie asked as Chance handed her car keys.

"It's nothing..." – he responded mournfully, turning his back on her and heading for the workbench.

"C'mon, I know you! There's something bugging you! I just know it..."

"I said it's nothing!" – Chance snapped back, turning suddenly on his heel to face Callie.

She winced. For a moment she didn't recognize Chance. She looked to his black eyes and saw sadness and rage simultaneously in them.

I... I'm sorry, Callie... I'm just... not in a good mood today..." – Chance apologized – "Your car is ready. Sorry it's taken this while..."

"It's... It's okay, Chance. How much do I owe you?"

"Consider it a courtesy of the house for my rudeness..."

Callie got inside the car and started the engine. She placed her head outside the window.

"Where's Jake, anyway? I haven't seen him yet!"

Chance gulped. He didn't look to her when he answered.

"He's out... To see his parents..."

"I see... Well, I'll be seeing you. And, Chance...

"Yeah?"

She laid her left paw in his.

"I'm here for you too." – she said softly and then drove out the body shop and the Salvage Yard.

Chance stared at the departing dark green car.

"Here for me..." – he mumbled – "Jake was here for me... And I killed him..."

He shook his head and closed the garage door. His mood didn't allow him to attend any more customers.

"Maybe a cold shower will get me out of this stupor..." – he said as he opened his mechanic's overalls and climbed up the stairs.

Once inside the shower area he opened the cold water tap. The cold fluid ran down his features and his body, seeping through his fur until it stung his skin. He leaned against the wall, his paws supporting his torso. He dropped his head to his chest and let the jet of water hit his head and his back. Most kats would rapidly be broken by such treatment but Chance wasn't most kats. He used to be an Enforcer. He was a SWAT Kat. That wouldn't break him.

He opened his eyes and stared down, to the drain. He watched as the water was slurped by the black hole, circling clockwise before disappearing from view.

"Everything disappears... Everything is ephemeral... That's the only fact of life..." – he muttered.

Chance closed his eyes again. Again he saw Razor flipping through the air, his blood splattering on the sand.

He shut his eyes even harder. Thick teardrops raced down his facial fur and mingled with the falling water.

He opened his eyes and looked to the drain again.

The water kept on its incessant clockwise movement. Clean, translucent water, circling until it disappeared.

Clean, translucent water...

Clean, translucent, red water...

Red water, circling until it disappeared...

Red water? The water should be crystalline!

Chance quickly inspected himself.

"No open wounds! Nothing! Where's it coming..." – he mumbled.

Suddenly, he widened his eyes. He looked down again. The red water was coming from *behind* him. He slowly turned around, not taking his eyes from the thread of reddish water streaming along the floor of the shower area. Then it wasn't water anymore, but pure, thick blood that ran along the floor.

His eyes drew closer and closer to the source of the blood.

He saw two orange feet. The blood was trickling down them.

A drop of blood fell on the floor, running to join the mainstream.

Chance looked up. Through the torn blue fabric he saw the gashes in the legs, pulsating gobs of blood.

He looked up. He saw the paws covered in black leather gloves. Thick drops of blood dripped from the fingers.

He recognized the blue and red rags that barely covered the red-streaked caramel-colored fur on the torso in front of him as the remains of a flight suit.

Chance gulped when his eyes focused on the kat's face.

The left side of the face was red and his skull was visible in small white patches under the pieces of flesh dangling in his face. His left eye socket was empty and black, blood oozing down from it. The right side of his face showed a white eye with no iris behind the remains of a black mask, a big bleeding wound carved across it and down his snout.

"J-Jake!" – Chance stuttered, eyes opened up wide, uncontrollable shivers running up his body.

"You... did this... to me..." – the feline rag in front of him said, in a voice that echoed in Chance's mind. Slowly, Razor raised his right arm and pointed to Chance.

"You... did this... to me..." – he repeated in exactly the same tone – "You... did this... to me..."

"NO!" – Chance shouted, closing his eyes tightly – "You're not real! YOU'RE NOT REAL!"

He opened his eyes.

He wasn't there anymore. Razor had disappeared.

"What... What the heck's happening here?" – Chance asked as he leaned against the wall with his back.

His breathing was heavy, as if he had a weight in his chest. He turned off the water and drew a few deep inhalations.

"What... What's happening to me?" – he said – "It seemed so... so real!"

The water dripped from his fur to the floor of the shower area. He looked down to the floor.

"It was so real... As though Jake was here, standing right in front of me..."

He watched the drops of water spatter on the floor, invisible drops becoming tinier as they hit the ground and spread.

He felt a thick water drop hit him on top of his facial fur and starting to trickle down his face.

The drop fell to the floor.

Chance widened his eyes.

It was red.

It was blood.

"No..." – he said in a weak voice.

A few more red drops splattered on the floor.

Chance slowly turned his head up, not really wanting to do so. He saw him. Razor was there. In the ceiling. Razor was still there.

The nightmare wasn't over yet. On the contrary...

It had just begun...

"You... did this... to me..." – Razor said exactly in the same tone as before. – "You... did this... to me... You... will pay... with your life..."

Chance widened his eyes even more when Razor dropped from the ceiling, pouncing at him. He saw his dark claws unsheathing from his fingers. Razor's claws glistened and a shiny trail carved the air from Chance's right, being replaced by a burst of blood that splattered against the wall on the opposite side. Chance saw his blood splashing against the wall to his right too. He saw his vital fluid oozing down Razor's claws, down his paws and forearms and mingling with Razor's blood.

"You... will pay... with your life..." – Razor said before he swished his claws over Chance's throat.

Another red burst splattered on the wall, oozing down it.

Chance fell to his knees, blood spurting from the gashes and running down his chest.

Razor dropped down his arms and looked to the fallen tabby with his only eye.

Chance saw Razor's mouth moving but no words were heard. Razor backed away.

Chance stared without seeing with his eyes open wide, his pupils so retracted they were nothing more than tiny spots.

Suddenly he breathed in deeply. His pupils enlarged and returned to normal. He looked around him. The walls were clean.

He inspected his chest and groped his throat, peering down at his paws. They were clean too.

"What is happening here?" – he muttered as he raised from the ground – "What's happening to me?"

He stepped out of the shower area and wrapped a towel around his waist. Chance looked to his reflection in the bathroom's mirror. He seemed pale but beside those inflicted by Dark Kat, he didn't have any wounds. The tabby looked to the shower area again and again he saw that it was clean. There wasn't any blood in the walls or on the floor. He covered his face with his paw, leaning over the basin.

"This time, you *really* took everything away from me, Dark Kat... My brother, my dreams, my health... and even my mental sanity..." – he said as a lonely tear dropped directly to the sink.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The occasional chirp of a bird came to his hears. He pricked them. Slowly, Razor opened his eyes and peered around, sleepy. He was back in his cell, lying flat on his stomach on a cot. He sat up in the mattress and yawned.

"Looks like I had the right to a little remodeling..." – he muttered, looking down to the cot – "It's morning already... That means I lost at least na entire day..."

Razor looked down to his legs. He was unrestrained. He drew up his right leg and inspected it.

"What the... My wounds! They're healed! How can..."

His comments were interrupted by a powerful scream. Razor sat upright in the cot. He heard the scream again and recognized it. It was a scream coming from the bottom of the midriff. He realized it was coming from many kats instead of only one.

He dragged the cot to the wall and jumped on top of it in order to peer outside the barred window. He gasped with what he saw.

A few tens of Dark Kat's ninjas were practicing in the yard a few feet away from him. The kats were all dressed in white _gi_ and their faces were uncovered. He looked around for some time but he didn't recognize any kat. Razor looked further to his right, towards the instructor, who was dressed in a black _gi_. His face was partially covered by a mask but even so, Razor could distinguish his features well enough to recognize that kat.

"It's him! Doc!" – he said, surprised – "He's teachin' 'em!"

Suddenly, he saw the black-dressed ninja throwing something towards him, which riveted in one of the window's bars. A few sparks flew over to his face and Razor drew his head back. He inspected the bar and saw a _shuriken_ riveted in it.

"Glad to see you woke up already! I'll be down there in a minute!" – the ninja bellowed and went to one of his students. The kat took his place and the ninja ran towards the mansion. In a few minutes he was in the cell with Razor.

"So, how are you feeling today?" – the ninja asked.

"My injuries healed overnight! How's that possible? It's a miracle!"

"I think your praise should be directed to that blue balm I rubbed on them..."

"I don't understand how a simple balsam can have such a miraculous effect!"

"Don't question Mother Nature, SWAT Kat. So, I see you're fine already! You can start practicing right away." – the ninja said, smiling under his mask.

"You're really gonna teach me _ninjutsu_?"

"Not everything, we don't have time for that! But a few basic techniques, why not? C'mon! We gotta lot to do! Dress this up. I'll be waiting outside."

Razor complied and dressed the white _gi_, after what he followed the ninja out of the mansion and to the yard for his first day of practice as one of Dark Kat's servants.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

A week had elapsed. Razor continued his practice under Dark Kat's close surveillance. The ninja/doctor was impressed with Razor's abilities. He was a fast learner, no doubt about it.

"Report." – Dark Kat demanded to the ninja.

"The SWAT Kat is a very skillful fighter, your Excellency. In this week of close contact with him, I could see there's not much I could teach him." – the ninja said, bowing to the purple kat.

"I don't care about that. Will he be able to win the Tournament?" – the huge kat boomed.

"I have no doubt in my mind that he will. He has overpowered some of my most gifted ninjas in individual combat."

Dark Kat closed his eyes and chuckled.

"You are all a bunch of arrogant fools..." – he said – "You wouldn't stand a chance..."

"I beg your pardon, your Excellency but I think my kats have already proven..." – the ninja started but Dark Kat's growl stopped him in mid-sentence.

"AH! Your kats have proven they're no match for a simple kat in a flight suit! That's what they have proven to me. Even you, who stands here in front of me with those eyes full of pride..." – the huge villain shook his head – "Sure you defeated a kat. But what chances do you have against a flock of my creeplings?"

The little pink creatures stepped out of the darkness around both kats and surrounded the ninja.

The ninja looked from one side to the other, nervously. Even him, who was used to see the invisible, was caught by surprise.

"Scared of a few tiny critters? I'm sure a tough and proud tom-kat like you isn't afraid of a few creeplings..." – Dark Kat taunted. He turned his back on the ninja and left.

The creeplings drew closer to the ninja, closing the siege. The ninja gulped. Sure he could take on a few creeplings. Five or six, maybe. With some luck, maybe even ten. But not an entire flock of them. Not twenty, twenty-five creeplings attacking all at the same time. Okay, so the pink creatures were small and somewhat fragile, that's fine. But they had strong claws and teeth and attacked viciously. He knew what a flock of them could do to a tom.

"Not a pleasant thought..."

The first creepling attacked. The ninja grabbed his neck and broke it, purple blood spurting from the critter's mouth. He turned to the other creeplings, who drew even closer to him. He gritted his teeth.

"You want a piece of me? Well, come and get it!"

The creeplings attacked. Not one by one. As a whole. A naturalist would have immediately thought what the ninja did.

"Pack behavior..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

It was dark. So dark Chance wasn't even sure he had his eyes open.

"Where am I?" – he asked to the pitch-dark surroundings. No answer came to him.

He looked down on himself, groping his body. He was wearing his G-suit instead of his mechanic's overalls. Groping his face, he didn't feel the fabric of the bandana, neither his helmet.

Suddenly a dim light oozed from somewhere in front of him. He saw then that he was floating in the air.

"So, now I'm supposed to follow the light, right?" – he mumbled and 'swam' towards the tiny white spot, which enlarged as he got closer to it. – "The light in the end of the tunnel? What the heck is this place?"

He looked to the bright spot growing larger in front of him. He could see something in the other side. Something green.

All of a sudden, the spot enlarged so much it engulfed Chance. The big tabby closed his eyes to protect them from the sudden increase in the light conditions and when he opened them, he was looking to the yellow and green sky he knew so well.

He was lying on his back on the grass of a hill. The sunlight and a soft breeze caressed his facial fur. He sat up and looked around. The most peaceful bucolic scene greeted him. He saw a small mountain stream and endless green fields sprinkled by a multitude of colors. He saw kittens running trough the fields, giggling excitedly as they went. A few couples of adult kats were also present.

"I don't have the slightest clue of my whereabouts... But I'm definitely liking this place!" – he muttered and lay back again. He was feeling very well. For the first time in several days, he was feeling relieved.

But then, it all changed. He saw a flare, many times more powerful than that of the sun. He bolted upright. He saw a huge white hemisphere spreading rapidly over the fields, engulfing everything in its way.

"What the heck is..."

He didn't have time to finish the sentence. The flare engulfed him too and he raised his arms to protect his face. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and lowered his arms. He gulped and widened his eyes with what he saw.

The sky and the sun were red like blood. The land was barren and also reddish. The stream was dry. The whole place was clicking hot.

"What... What happened here?"

He squinted down the hill and saw something that knotted his gut tightly.

He saw the skeletons of the people that were there first. Not even the kittens have escaped.

"No... No... What happened here?" – he said in a whisper as a gust of wind swept away a tear hanging in the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, the land started to tremble. Large cracks opened up in the ground, devouring the skeletons. Seconds later, giant fountains of molten lava spurted all along the cracks.

In the middle of the bursts of lava, he saw him. A form he would recognize anywhere.

Dark Kat.

The only difference was that he had at least twenty meters in height, dwarfing even the lava cascades breaking into the sky.

The purple kat raised his cane and threw it towards Chance. The huge stick buried in the ground right in front of him, missing the big tabby for only a few centimeters.

Chance fell to the ground on his back. He tried to get to his feet and sprint away from that behemoth but Dark Kat leaned over him and grabbed the helpless kat with his huge paw.

The giant didn't say a word. His paw was big enough to crush Chance but the grasp wasn't that tight. Just enough to prevent the big tabby from escaping. He saw the giant Dark Kat's orange eyes inspecting his finding. Chance had to admit he had never felt so afraid in his life.

Then, Dark Kat approached the big tabby to the ground again. He gasped with what he saw.

Razor was there. In a rock. Razor's body was hanging in the gray boulder by means of a huge iron rod that was riveted in his chest. The rock behind him and the ground were dyed in dark red from his blood.

Dark Kat rubbed Chance's face against the bloody torso of Razor, dyeing his facial fur in red too. Then he released Chance and disappeared. The big tabby stared at the limp body of his partner.

Slowly, Razor lifted his head and said something inaudibly.

"What is it, bro? What are you trying to tell me?" – Chance asked as he came closer to the slim SWAT Kat.

Again Razor mouthed some words but Chance didn't get the message. He drew closer and closer to Razor. He was about to touch him when the slim kat's body burst in flames. Chance fell back on his tail. He looked to Razor's face. Flames were coming out of his mouth, nostrils and eyes. He still mouthed the same silent message until he arched his head back and howled in pain.

Suddenly, the giant Dark Kat's head came from behind Razor, bursting through the boulder, opening his enormous mouth and devouring the slim SWAT Kat. Chance heard the sickening sound of bones being broken when Dark Kat closed his mouth. Now, the huge purple head was coming towards Chance, rushing to him and opening a huge furrow in the barren land. Chance got to his feet and ran, ran his tail off. The head was still coming and was gaining on him. He ran desperately but it was useless. The huge mouth opened and prepared to engulf him.

"NO!" – he shouted, sitting upright on his bed as fast as a bolt. His body was bathed in perspiration and he was shivering. His pulse and heartbeat were extremely accelerated. He gasped a few times before his eyes focused enough to see that he was in his bedroom. It had just been a nightmare. 

Bloodshot eyes looked to the alarm clock in the nightstand. 02:36 in the morning. He sank in the bed again. He knew he wouldn't go back to sleep again. It'd been like that since the incident with Dark Kat. Every night he had the same nightmare. And every time it was as terrifying as the first time he dreamt it. He had never slept more than half an hour since that fatidic day. He was literally, losing his mind.

"What are you trying to tell me, bro... What are you trying to tell me?"

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"Where's our master?" - Razor asked to a group of ninjas.

"We don't know. He hasn't show up today yet!" - one of them answered.

"I have to admit I think that's strange." - another ninja added.

"Yes. Our sensei(2) was always in the yard before of us all!" - some other ninja said.

"I'm here." - said a voice from behind them.

They turned around and Razor saw relief mirrored in the faces of the ninjas. The doctor was there. But he noticed he was limping. Upon a careful inspection of the ninja's face, he saw some cuts in his eyebrows. Razor joined the other ninjas in the practice. A few hours later, when the practice was over, he followed the ninja.

"Hey, doc! Wait up!" - Razor called the ninja.

"What do you want?"

"What happened to you? And, don't lie to me. What are those cuts doing on your eyebrows? And, why are you limping?" - Razor asked.

"You ask too many questions. That's not necessarily a good thing. Especially for a ninja." - he said and turned his back on the slim SWAT Kat, walking away from him.

The ninja went to his quarters and closed the door. He took off his _gi_. Razor followed him and peered through the window. Then he saw the bandages blotted in red wrapped around the ninja's chest.

"What the... What happened to him?" - he thought. He decided to enter the ninja's quarters.

"What... What are you doing here?" - the ninja queried, annoyed.

"What happened to you?"

"It's none of your business."

"You're right, it's not. But I can't turn my back on the only kat that helped me here. Lemme see those..."

"GET OUT OF HERE! I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR HELP! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE HERE!" - the ninja bellowed.

Razor stopped and dropped his head to his chest.

"You don't have to be so proud. I'm not asking much! I just..."

Razor never finished his sentence. The ninja moved so swiftly the slim kat didn't even noticed him. The next second, Razor felt a powerful kick to his gut that sent him flying out the door. Razor knocked flat with his back on the ground.

"Stay out of this... This isn't your fight... This isn't your war..." - the ninja hissed and slammed the door shut. Razor stood on the ground, unmoving.

"Incredible..." - he thought - "He's injured and he still manages to kick me like this... And even more amazing is the fact that I can't move... With what kind of blow did he stroke me?" - Razor shook his head - "He has so much pride he won't accept any help... Honestly, I don't think he'll ever have need for such thing... But I've seen enough to know who did that to him... Creeplings..." - he growled - "Dark Kat..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Another week elapsed. Razor continued his practice. The 'Tournament' was approaching with wide steps. It would have place in Dark Kat's mansion in a week of time. Meanwhile, Chance never recovered enough mood to reopen the garage again.

The big tabby was a mess. Since the day of the incident with Dark Kat, he never slept or ate anymore. His fur was hirsute and a two weeks' beard was brewing on his face. Chance was wasting himself away with remorse and a feeling of guilt he couldn't get over with. He was lying in the couch, watching the news and drinking his nth can of milk of the day.

"Today's news. The Metallikats robbed Megakat Savings today, The Enforcers were helpless to stop the two cybernetic villains. The SWAT Kats didn't appear to help the Enforcers as they usually do. Commander Feral had this to say."

The image on the right upper corner enlarged so it occupied the entirety of the screen.

"Despite the diligent efforts of my Enforcers, the Metallikats managed to get away but it will be only a matter of time until we find them and place them in custody." - Feral responded a reporter.

"What are your comments on the non-appearance of the SWAT Kats, Commander?" - another reporter asked.

"Efforts are being made in order to arrest those vigilantes. Thank you very much. No further comments."

Chance snorted - "Don't worry, Commander... One of them is already dead..." - he said in a drunken voice. He looked to the cold metallic object beside him in the couch. - "And soon they will be *both* dead..."

He picked the revolver and inspected it. He caressed the barrel. He approached the muzzle to his head and rested it against his temple. He pressed the trigger. The revolver made a clicking sound.

"So easy..." - he mumbled - "Soon I'll join you, Jake..."

He reached for the single bullet lying inside a small cardboard box and looked at it intensely.

"Let's try it again... This time even more difficult... We'll try it with a bullet inside this time..."

He slipped the bullet inside one of the chambers and jerked the gun so that the cylinder would go to its place. Bloodshot empty eyes stared at the revolver, which glistened faintly at the cold glimmering flare emanating from the television set. The glistening gun seemed to taunt him, making the tabby think it was more alive than he ever had been for the past weeks. Again, he pressed the barrel against his right temple. He closed his eyes and involuntary tears slid down them.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"The guys must be tired of my car." - Callie said as she approached the salvage yard - "This crate seems to need a check-up every two weeks!"

She pulled over the car when she reached the closed garage door.

"What the... They're closed? But they never closed before!"

Suddenly, she heard a shot coming from inside the house and jumped in her seat.

"Oh, Good Heavens!"

She stayed there, staring to the closed garage door, unmoving. Then something snapped inside her and she woke up from her stupor. She picked up her cell phone and dialed to Enforcer Headquarters. 

"Enforcer Headquarters. How can I help you?" - said a gruff voice from the other end.

"I'm in Megakat City Salvage Yard. I just heard a shot..." - she said in agitation.

"We'll send a unit right away. In the meantime, stay calm and do not interfere."

She turned off the phone and once again stared at the closed door.

"Holy Kats... What's happening with the guys?"

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

TO BE CONTINUED...

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Musical inspirations:

Bomfunk MC's _Freestyler_ for the fighting sequences;

Era's _Sempire d'Amor_ for the inner conflict scenes of T-Bone/Chance;

Suite from the film _Psycho_ by Bernard Herrman for Chance's nightmares and the scene in the shower (yes, it resembles a bit the scene from this movie, though I just realized that after I wrote it).


	2. THE TOURNAMENT - Part Two

TITLE: THE TOURNAMENT - PART TWO

AUTHORS: C. L. Furlong & Felicia McFurry

DATE: July 30, 2001

FINISHED: August 10, 2001

FINAL REVISION: August 15, 2001

E-MAILS: 

Chance_lizard_furlong@aeiou.pt

Riochet@msn.mail.com

RATING: R for violent content

SUMMARY: As an Enforcers' strike to Dark Kat's mansion is prepared, Dark Kat himself plays the role of the judge, jury and warder, strengthening his leadership near his ninjas while the Tournament approaches with wide steps.

DISCLAIMER: SWAT Kats and anything related to the series is property of Hanna-Barbera. No infringement is intended and no profit is gained with this fiction.

COMMENTS: Okay, so here's part two of this story. Hope you enjoyed the first one! Well, in contrast with Part One, Part Two was written at a stretch (okay, so I was inspired...). I have to say that I like this part very, *very* much. So far it is my favorite. It has given me real pleasure to write it (of all the stories I have written so far, this is the very first I'm actually truly enjoying myself!). Yeah, thank you *so* much, Felicia, for having the idea for this story! This is the very first story that I've felt satisfied with in writing. And, you know what? It's such a nice feeling... Okay, so I'll stop rambling and get down to it. Hope you enjoy yourselves reading this fiction at least as much as I did writing it. Besides my co-author, Felicia, my thanks go also to Helion for his reviews on the story, and to Glen Battilana's fics, for I've inspired much on his vision of T-Bone (which I share completely with him). Time yet to say that this fiction is unrelated to my "Final Resistance" series. Okay, that's all. C. U. all, SK fans!

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

THE TOURNAMENT - PART TWO

"What was that call about, sergeant?" - Lieutenant Felina Feral asked to the telephone operator.

"Some she-kat heard a shot down by the salvage yard. I'm sending a unit there." - he responded.

"Salvage yard? Ha! I'm not surprised. Whomever lives there must be nuts anyway..." - she said, walking away from the desk.

"Actually, two of our kats live there. They're the ones who wrecked headquarters years ago after letting Dark Kat escape."

Felina spun in her heels.

"The 'Dynamic Duo'?" - she asked, suddenly interested. The operator snorted in amusement.

"The 'Home-wreckers', the 'Hotshots', the 'Stampedes'... Whatever you want to call 'em, Lieutenant. Yeah, Jake Clawson and Chance Furlong." - the operator informed. He shook his head and let out a short sigh - "Two of the best pilots I've ever laid my eyes on. It was a pity they were so insubordinate... They only recognized authority to one another..."

"Obviously, my uncle court-martialed them..." - Felina said, thoughtfully.

"Yeah. He threw them off the force after they crashed their jet on headquarters. With all due respect, Lieutenant, Commander Feral never liked them. He used all his influence at the higher spheres of power, managing to make them pay for the damages they caused for the rest of their lives. He cut off their wings for good, sentencing them to waste their abilities away in that salvage yard, without hope for a brighter future."

"Yes, I know the story but I never knew they..." - she said, still rubbing her chin, pensively. She suddenly darted away from the desk. - "I'll check it out personally. Don't send any unit, I'll go alone."

"But Lieutenant, it could be dangerous!" - the operator warned, raising from his chair. However, she didn't pay attention to him.

"Just don't tell my uncle, okay?" - she shouted as she turned a corner and disappeared from view.

"Your uncle's gonna hang me, that's what he'll do..." - the operator muttered and returned to his chair, sinking in it.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Meanwhile, in Dark Kat's mansion, off Megakat City, Razor was in plain practice when his attention was deviated. He received a huge blow to his head from one of his fellow ninjas and fell in a heap on the ground.

"RAZOR!" - the doctor bellowed - "YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR ADVERSARY! DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY NOW!"

The slim SWAT Kat just stood in the ground, staring towards the wall of the mansion.

"*RAZOR*! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" - the doctor shouted while approaching the fallen SWAT Kat.

"Something happened..." - Razor murmured as he got up to his feet - "Something happened..."

The doctor approached without a sound and grabbed Razor by his shoulder. Razor acted almost by reflex, grasping the ninja's arm and throwing him over his shoulder. The ninja fell onto his back on the ground and promptly jumped to his feet and faced Razor.

"Go back to practice at once!" - the ninja hissed. Razor just smiled and returned to his place. The doctor passed by and bumped against Razor. He stood in front of his students and smiled to Razor. - "Just for your knowledge, Razor, I could have killed you three times and you didn't even notice it."

Two tears opened up in Razor's suit while his blood dripped from a scratch in his cheek. Razor looked to his garments astonished.

"Go change your _gi_! It's in a deplorable condition. Besides, you're soaking it with your blood." - the ninja ordered.

Razor smiled. What a formidable opponent! - "Whatever the doctor orders..." - he muttered. He looked once again to the wall before heading for the locker room.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Past the wall of Dark Kat's mansion and following in a straight line across the fields, streams, hills, skyscrapers and the bustling traffic of Megakat City stood a calm place stuffed with piles over piles of metallic scrap, the wasted machines Megakat City's katizens had labeled obsolete. Among the piles of katkind's technological litter stood a green car, it itself constantly needing repair. Inside it stood the numb form of a she-kat, Megakat City's Deputy Mayor, Callie Briggs. Her green eyes stared at the closed door of the body shop in front of her, not really seeing it, her mind a maelstrom of thoughts. All of a sudden, as though dominated by a sudden resolve, she opened the door of her car and got outside.

"The hell with the Enforcers. I gotta check what's happening inside!" - she said to herself and approached the closed garage door. Upon closer inspection she saw she couldn't open it from the outside.

She backed away a few steps from the garage door and circled around the house. She found the backdoor a few seconds later and tried to open it. She made it.

"Okay... I'm in now..." - she whispered to herself, opening the door, which squeaked a wail due to lack of oil in its hinges. The sound seemed *awfully* loud to her.

She entered the darkened house. The dust particles danced in front of her in the rays of light that penetrated through the open door and from some gaps in the closed windows, creating a profusion of semi-solid eerie beams meddling in her path and faintly illuminating the room. She was standing in the kitchen. She passed a finger over the table and left a streak on it.

"A maid here would be useful... Damn, what am I saying? I just heard a shot and I'm thinking about cleansing!" - she thought. She entered in the next room, which she knew to be the living room.

The smell stung her nostrils when she took a step inside the living room. Gunpowder. She saw the glimmering flare and the babbling sounds of the TV set in front of her but the couch was in her way and she couldn't see the receiver. Neither she could see anyone. However, judging by the pungent odor of gunpowder inside the room, she could bet the shot came from this room.

She approached the sofa circling by her right. Only then did she see the fallen arm hanging limply down the side of the couch. The fist was balled and a few red drops fell from it and to the small puddle forming on the floor.

She gulped and stumbled, suddenly feeling her legs turn to jelly. Gathering all her courage, she staggered the scant feet that separated her from the front of the couch, preparing herself mentally to see the blood-covered corps.

What she didn't know was that there wasn't a corps that stood on the couch but rather a sobbing curled form. The revolver was in the floor in front of him, abandoned and still smoldering.

Shock and relief simultaneously filled her face. He was all right. Chance was alive and well. - "Chance!" - she called the big tabby, so softly that it was hardly louder than her breathing.

Chance sobbed and slowly raised his head. Bloodshot eyes filled with grievous tears looked to her angelic face. He mouthed some words and slowly shook his head as a stream of tears ran down his face.

"I... I couldn't... I couldn't do it... I just couldn't..." - the big tabby sobbed.

Tears surfaced Callie's green eyes too. She lunged to Chance and held him tightly in her arms.

"Don't say anything... Don't say anything, Chance..." - she whispered at his hear, stroking his back affectionately.

"I'm a coward... I couldn't even end with my life..." - he moaned, sniffling.

"I don't think that's cowardice!" - a gruff voice said from behind them, startling both - "In fact, I think living is a constant act of bravery!"

They looked back and stared at the rigid military stand of Felina. Chance noticed her grim look. Her lips remained in a strict line. He could see she wasn't amused.

"Lieutenant Furlong, on your feet! *Now*!" - she ordered, calling the tabby by his former rank.

Chance obeyed almost unconsciously and stood to attention. She approached with her paws behind her back and inspected him. She shook her head.

"You're a mess, Lieutenant. How long since you've last taken a bath? And shaved yourself? And did some laundry?" - she punched him in his stomach. Chance didn't even flinch. - "And did some workout? You're falling out of shape, Lieutenant."

"With all due respect, sir but I'm no longer Lieutenant, sir." - Chance stated out, breaking off from attention. - "I'm a civilian like the Deputy Mayor here."

"Indeed you are!" - she closed her eyes and sighed, turning her back on Chance - "You're disappointingly pathetic. I thought you were a great tom the way they painted you back in the academy. You and your partner were my idols. My goal was to be as good as you." - she turned around to face the tabby with a sour expression in her face - "I didn't know you were thrown in this dump. My gut knots when I think my uncle had something to do with this. But here I find you, drunk, bearded, getting fat and attempting to kill yourself. How low can a tom go?"

"Don't give sentences on what you don't know, Lieutenant..." - Chance hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm stating facts here. I'm not making anything up. When I think you were my idols... What a waste of time..."

"Well, you'll have to work much harder to be like us, Lieutenant. To think we saved your tail so many times... and this is what we get in return... Despise..." - Chance shot out.

"What?" - Felina snapped her head back - "You saved *me*?"

"It's nothing, Lieutenant!" - Callie intervened, agitated, interposing between her and Chance - "He's drunk, like you said. He's not making any sense."

"Ha! Pathetic..." - Felina said, turning around and waving a paw in the air.

"Callie, call the SWAT Kats..." - Chance ordered.

"What are you talking about, Chance?"

"Call the SWAT Kats... Now..." - Chance repeated, emphasizing each word he spoke.

"But..."

"NOW!" - he roared.

Callie winced. She complied and searched for her communicator, pressing the button in the center.

Chance's communicator started emitting a frantic acoustic signal. He retrieved it from a pocket in his overalls and answered it.

"Yes, Miss Briggs."

Felina had her mouth opened in disbelief. She couldn't believe it. That drunken tom was a SWAT Kat? Was that tom part of Megakat City's first line of defense?

"Now what, Lieutenant? Am I still just a drunken, bearded, fat tom?" - Chance queried, his eyes cold as ice, as his voice.

"That proves nothing. You disappointed me, Furlong. Deeply!" - she stated out and went out of the garage by the backdoor. Seconds later, Chance and Callie heard the sound of tires screeching.

"Good riddance, Lieutenant..." - Chance mumbled. He looked down to Callie and powered down, closing his eyes. - "Now you know we were the SWAT Kats too..."

Callie took Chance's right paw in hers. - "Somehow, I always knew..." - she shook her head - "No, I never knew... But I wanted so much to believe that you were a SWAT Kat, Chance... And my wish came true... You are! You are a SWAT Kat! When you helped me that day I knew you two were well intentioned... I could see it in your eyes... Then, when you told me your story, I was touched... I really was... Then the SWAT Kats showed up a few months later. Every time T-Bone would save me I wished he were you. In my mind, T-Bone wasn't an abstraction anymore. T-Bone was you, Chance... Of course, both of you bore similarities but I never did made the connection. Such can be the magic of a mask..." - she turned her eyes, which she kept down so far, up to the tabby's hirsute face - "I always dreamt to be saved by you, Chance... Now I know I've been many times..."

She caressed his two-week beard, feeling each black steel-hard fur. With an impressive strength for a she-kat of her size and stature, she snatched Chance's head down and pressed her lips against his. Chance tried only half-heartedly to draw his head back but only raised his arms and embraced her, kissing her deeply. They broke apart a minute later and Chance smiled, blushing under his golden fur.

"My breath must stink... So does my body... I'm sorry..." - he muttered.

"Go take a bath and shave yourself. I'll make something for us to eat."

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

After a half-an-hour shower and a close shaving, Chance went to the living room with a pair of jeans on. He was feeling better now. How could he have thought about killing himself? Jake would never have wanted that. On the contrary, Jake would kill him again if he ever committed suicide.

"A physiological impossibility, I think..." - he mumbled.

Still he had tried to put a term to his life today. He picked up the revolver from the ground. He looked at it, the instrument of his destruction. He felt a shiver running up his spine. How close had he been to death today? Was he so desperate to the point he'd end his own life?

Yes he was. He remembered Razor flipping through the air again, his blood sullying the white sand.

Razor's blood.

He'd broken his promise not to shed the blood of innocent. He'd shed the blood of his own brother. Wasn't that reason enough to die? What honor did he have left?

"None..." - he sighed. - "Then why couldn't I kill myself? Why?"

He glanced at the kitchen. Callie was still there, busy with pots and pans. He shook his head. That wasn't the idea he had of her. He thought of her as an independent business she-kat and not a housekeeper.

He lowered his look to the revolver in his paws and decided to go upstairs, back to their bedroom. When he got there, he buried the revolver in the depths of one of his drawers. He went to the closet and opened the door, peering at his reflection in the mirror.

"Felina's right. I *am* falling out of shape..." - he said, groping the few centimeters of fat that had accumulated in his abdominal area during the past two weeks. He flexed his muscles and saw them ripple under his fur. - "Though I'm not *that* out of shape..."

He picked up a clean shirt and dressed it on. Closing the closet's door he went to Jake's bed and sat on it. He softly passed his left paw over the sheets. His own words came back to his mind.

"Why couldn't I kill myself?" - he said out aloud - "I was determined... I was even a little drunk... So why? Why was I unable to kill myself?"

"Chance! Dinner is served!" - Callie said from outside the bedroom.

Chance jerked his head back, startled by the unfamiliar voice.

"Y-yes, I'm coming down right away..." - he stuttered.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The molecules dispersed slowly but in a steady rate through the air. Some of them dodged the protective furs and bind to the receptors inside his nostrils. The chemical messengers were immediately released and an electric discharge sped up the nerve cords until it reached the brain nanoseconds later, where it released a few more chemical messengers that were rapidly interpreted, unleashing a true cascade of chemical events inside his body. Millions of nerve cells crackled as an electric discharge sped away through the intricacy of axons and soma that made up Chance's brain just to tell him that he was sniffing the aroma of baked tuna. Another million-full of neurons ordered his salivary glands to commence their production of water and amylase in anticipation while another handful of those cells sent electric messages to his cerebrum with the mission to tell the big tabby that he hadn't eaten anything in two weeks and that he was ravenously hungry. 

"I hope you still have some appetite 'cause I've made spaghetti with tuna. I hope you enjoy it!" - Callie said when she saw Chance's look. He could barely contain the saliva inside his mouth.

"Spaghetti and tuna... My favorite... Ladies first." - Chance said while retrieving a piece of the meal, sprinkling it with some tomato sauce and serving it to Callie.

"I think I made too much..."

"Don't worry! I haven't eaten anything in two weeks..." - Chance said as he served himself with a generous portion of the course.

Callie blinked as she watched Chance literally devour the contents of the plate in front of him.

"Well... I guess hunger *is* the best sauce after all..." - she said before taking a forkful of spaghetti.

They ate in silence for a while until Chance snapped his fingers.

"I almost forgot!" - he said after he swallowed what he had in his mouth. He got up and retrieved two stemmed glasses from the cupboard, placing one in front of Callie and another in front of his place. He then headed for the fridge and retrieved a bottle of a green white wine. - "This goes divinely with spaghetti and tuna..." - Chance served the wine and sat down again.

An hour later, they finished eating and drinking. With five glasses of wine, Callie was feeling a bit light-headed. Chance was light-headed too with all the alcohol he had drunk the entire day. They went to the living room and sat down on the couch. She rested her face against his broad chest. He stroked her golden hair, lovingly.

"Chance..." - Callie started but stopped. She couldn't find the right words and she didn't want to break that moment but the question was on her throat, choking her.

"Yeah, what is it, Callie?" - Chance helped her, noticing her hesitation.

"Chance, what happened to Jake?" - she asked softly, so softly her last words were no more than a whisper. Chance's paw stopped stroking her hair and she could feel his heart pounding harder in his chest. - "I'm sorry, Chance! I didn't want to distress you..." - she said, looking up to the tabby's face, her words coming out rapidly.

"It's okay, Callie. You have all the right to ask. After all, you're his friend."

Chance remained silent for a few seconds until he found the necessary bravery to go on. He closed his eyes and let it all loose.

"We were called two weeks ago by Prof. Hackle. Dark Kat was attacking his lab. We went and we fought him. I was charged to fight Dark Kat while Jake fought his ninjas. The attack didn't work out the way I was expecting and Dark Kat beat me up. Jake was doing well with the ninjas. Dark Kat had me in the ground. I wanted so much to finish off that purple bastard... I shot an explosive towards him but that blasted purple crud kicked my arm and the explosive was shot into the air. The next thing I know, I saw Jake being hit by the blast of my explosive. Then I just remember him lying in the sand, bleeding and unmoving. I ran to him but Dark Crud's ninjas stopped me and nearly killed me with punching and kicking. When I came to, I never saw Jake again. I think the tide carried him away to the sea.

So you see now why I wanted to kill myself, Callie? I wanted to be with Jake again, and the only way to do it was by dying... I killed him, Callie... I killed Jake..." - he finished with a gloomy sigh. A lonely tear slid down his right eye.

Callie placed a paw on Chance's cheek. He opened his eyes and saw her green eyes staring at him.

"But it was an accident, Chance! It wasn't your fault!"

"I still killed him! Accident or not, I still killed him! That shouldn't happen! I was imprudent, blind! I killed him, Callie! Whether it was by accident or not, it doesn't make any difference and it doesn't make me feel any better! I still killed him... I don't expect you to understand my pain. No one can."

"Is it really pain, Chance? I think it's more like self-commiseration! You're only thinking about yourself, Chance! I know it's hard to accept the loss of your partner but are you really crying his loss or the fact that *you* did it?"

"Wha... What do you mean?..." - Chance muttered, his mind lost in some horrible maelstrom.

"Just what I meant. You're just sorry for yourself, not for Jake."

A few heavy seconds passed before any of them spoke again.

"I'm sorry but I have to go now. I still have work to do at home. Thanks for the lovely dinner, Chance." - she grabbed her purse and went to the garage door, opening it up. The cold wind of the night lashed her features. - "Think about what I said, Chance. You'll see I'm right. Goodbye."

Chance heard the coughing of Callie's car when she started it and heard her driving out the salvage yard. He raised from the couch and went to the garage door, stepping outside the body shop. The cold night wind stroke his face too. He looked outside, to his domains. The silvery light of the nocturne geoid cast long smudged shadows on the ground while softly illuminating the piles of metallic scrap. With his heart in his throat, Chance got outside and climbed up the closest pile of metallic litter. He stood upright onto the roof of a car and stared at the huge full moon. Heavy tears streamed down his face as his chest heaved up and down wildly, drawing air in and out of his lungs at a fast rate. Chance's face, paled by the soft noctiluca planetoid, contorted in a mask of grief. He suddenly shut his eyes and arched his head back, roaring one painful and tortured word.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!"

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Felina couldn't sleep. She was in her quarters, in the casernes adjacent to Enforcer Headquarters, lying in her bed. The moonlight penetrated through the glasses of the window and drew a black net over the sheets. Her mind was a whirl. She didn't know what to think. In her mind she had drawn a picture completely different from that she encountered this afternoon. She saw Chance and Jake as two honorable fighters, obeying only their own hearts. Now she had seen one of them. A drunk! A suicide! Exactly the opposite of what she had expected. She went out of bed and to the window, opening it. The cold night air invaded her room and made her hair flutter slightly. A shiver ran through her nearly naked body but she didn't notice it. She stared at the moon.

"Is it possible that he really *is* a SWAT Kat? I can't believe that! He's... he's not fit to be a SWAT Kat..."

She closed her eyes and dropped her head to her breast.

"What if he really *is* a SWAT Kat? If so, I know his identity... I'll have to arrest him... But... Is it the right thing to do? As SWAT Kats they saved this city many times... I can't possibly envision my fellow Enforcers handling Dark Kat efficiently... Or Dr. Viper... We try, oh, only the Holy Kats know that we try... But they always seem to get the better of us... Maybe we're lacking boldness... The SWAT Kats definitely have it... But what do they have to lose? If Chance and Jake really are the SWAT Kats, what do they have to lose? Many of my fellows Enforcers have girlfriends and boyfriends. Some are even married and have kittens! If one of them dies, an entire family would suffer... What do the SWAT Kats have to lose? Each other?" - she paused for a moment - "Yeah, I guess that would be painful enough..."

She suddenly looked up to the moon again.

"Kats alive! Could it be that... Could it be that Chance had lost his partner? Fact is I haven't seen Jake there... Holy Kats! I wonder if Chance wanted to kill himself because he lost Jake... If so... Damn it... Was I too hard on my judging? Granted, he didn't even flinch when I punched him... That was the attitude of a true soldier..." - she shook her head vehemently - "Maybe I'm just jumping conclusions... Go get some sleep, Lieutenant. You'll have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow."

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The next day, Chance got out of bed early. He decided not to reopen the garage yet. He wanted to exercise himself a bit. So, after having his breakfast and brushing his fangs, he went down to the hangar. He headed directly for his locker, opening the door and taking off a spare G-suit. Chance examined it closely and passed a paw over it, affectionately. He put it on. Trousers first, followed by the sleeves. That done he slowly zipped it closed. The harnesses followed, like in a ritual. With a clicking sound, he finished suiting up. Now the bandana. Adjusting it to his head, he tied it tightly behind his back, flexing his back muscles when he finished. The gloves were slipped on and his golden paws turned black. Finally, the helmet. Slowly, as if crowning himself, he settled the helmet in his head. The transformation was complete. T-Bone was reborn from the ashes, like a phoenix revived from its scorching pyre.

"I know you wouldn't want me dead, brother. That's another one I owe you!" - he whispered as he softly passed his paw over the door marked with a black 'R'. He picked up his glovatrix and slipped it on his right arm, turning on his feet and speeding away to the Reflex Room.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Felina entered Enforcer Headquarters with a lousy mood that morning. Despite the advice she gave herself, she hadn't slept well. Accordingly to her night, her mood was lousy when she got out of her bed. However, headquarters seemed more bustling than usual in that sunny morning. She looked as everyone hurried upstairs. She stopped one of her colleagues.

"Chet, what's going on?" - she asked.

"Your uncle summoned us all up there. Looks like something big is going on. C'mon. Race you up to the briefing room." - the beige-furred tom in front of her informed.

"You're on!" - she responded and both kats started climbing up the steps two at a time. Eight levels up, they were practically dragging themselves.

"Whose stupid idea was this? Racing *up* a staircase?" - she panted as she stomped the hall of the eight floor, where the briefing room was. - "Even so, I beat you up, Chet! You're falling out of shape!"

Suddenly, she remembered Chance. She had said exactly the same words to him. She rapidly shook her head to clear off her mind. She didn't want to think about that now.

"You... You ch... cheated... Lieutenant..." - Chet panted as he got alongside her.

"That's what you all, toms, say. Fact is, I won! Now let's get inside and see if we can still grab some seats."

Both Enforcers stepped inside the big room, which was full of their fellows. The room was, in fact, a big amphitheater, like those one can find in any university. In the center, down the prone floor, stood an elevated stage. In the middle of the stage stood a wooden pulpit with the Enforcer's badge carved in it.

Felina looked around, searching for a seat. She noticed Chet waving at her, letting her know he already found one for him.

"That's fine for you, you little rat... What about me?" - she cursed under her breath. She sighed - "Looks like I'll have to stay in the stairs... What a day... And it has just started..."

She sat down in the stairs and a few seconds later, Commander Feral stepped to the pulpit, entering the stage from its left, silencing the entire crowd. He adjusted the microphone to his height and tipped it with his finger, testing it. Grabbing both sides of the pulpit, he began.

"We've been informed by an anonymous source that a major underground event will take place in Megakat City in exactly five days. Apparently, the same event has been happening since quite a while ago."

He paused and scanned the audience with his eyes. His kats remained expressionless.

"This event has a name. Perhaps some of you already heard about it. It's the so called 'Tournament', the fighting championship among the criminal scum of this city."

Now Feral got the audience's undivided attention. A few heads nodded while some others turned to ask something to their fellow by their side. The murmur took only a few seconds before the audience turned its attention to Feral again.

"This 'Tournament' is an old event. We've been keeping a watch on it for quite a while now but we never managed to get there on time. Now, however, the odds are turning to our side. Finally, we have a date and, most of all, a place."

The room's lights dimmed and the huge screen behind Feral filled with an image, the image of a countryside mansion.

"The mansion you're seeing behind me is Farrell Manor and is situated in the outskirts of Megakat City. According to our source, this year's 'Tournament' will take place there. A calm place. Far from the city's limits. Why care, you could ask? I'll tell why we must care. Because it is illegal. Because the most wanted villains of this city will be there. Because they laugh at our faces every time they do such meeting. Because we'll still be sitting ducks no matter who wins that championship." - he paused again and scanned the audience once more - "Well, I'm not gonna let them laugh at me anymore! They will not terrorize my city, my friends, my family *anymore*! I'll stop this scum *once and for all*! I'LL PUT AN END TO THIS NOW AND FOREVER!" - he paused again. He could see the morale rising in each face - "NOW, WHO'S WITH ME?"

The entire crowd raised from the chairs and burst out in loud saluting to Feral. Everyone except one she-kat sitting in the stairs with her eyes closed.

"Good job, uncle... You really kicked their tails... They'll follow you to hell, if needed..."

Feral, on the other hand, stared at the bellowing crowd in front of him, thinking about *his* own reason to command this strike.

"Because you'll be there... And I want to clip your little wings and send you to a little cozy cage, you big bird..." - he ground his teeth in rage and squeezed the wooden pulpit so tightly his knuckles turned white under his brown fur.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Early that evening, T-Bone left the Reflex Room. After spending an entire day jumping pits, avoiding flames and circular saws, flipping over mechanic tentacles and spikes and rolling under closing sluices, his G-suit bore the stains of sweat and blood from a few rips. He undressed the upper part and let it fall over his back. Taking off his helmet, gloves and a soaking wet undershirt, he threw the latter to a basket and put the first objects in their respective places inside his locker. He was about to retrieve his bandanna when a red light started blinking in the console to his left. He went to it and pressed a button. The aging visage of Prof. Hackle filled the giant screen in front of him.

"T-Bone, I have some news for you that you might find interesting." - the inventor said. The screen flickered and an image of his beloved TurboKat filled the screen.

"It's the TurboKat... I don't get it..." - only then realization dawned on him. - "You rebuilt her, Professor?" - he asked, a smile spreading across his face. Prof. Hackle's face reappeared on the screen, a paternal smile plastered in his face also.

"My robots rebuilt her, T-Bone. Once again, you must thank Cybertron for he did most of the work..."

Hearing its name, the short robot came to Prof. Hackle and its frantic acoustic signals could be heard over the intercom. T-Bone smiled.

"Thanks, Cybertron! Nice work!" - he said cheerfully. Cybertron's squeaks got louder and then stopped. - "Is she operational, Professor?"

"She's ready to be used. Her tanks are full. All that's missing is some weaponry. As you might figure out, I don't have that kind of things here..." - the old tom said, sheepishly, lowering his head a bit.

"Sure, I understand, Professor." - T-Bone said in a soothing tone.

"But I have more news for you, T-Bone! Unfortunately, there are some bad news mixed with some good news... I'll air a tape I got from my security cameras. At a given point, I'll make a zoom in."

The screen flickered again and Prof. Hackle's face was replaced by the bright image of a white sandy crescent rimmed by a steep orange sandstone cliff. T-Bone recognized the place instantly. It was the beach where they fought Dark Kat that day. He saw the TurboKat landing on the beach. Seconds later he saw a trail of smoke from his right and a bit later, the TurboKat exploded. He saw two little blue spots getting up and facing three black spots. A fourth larger spot approached. The fighting sequence ensued. He kept his eyes on the blue spot speeding away from the ninjas, turning around and sweeping them one by one. He didn't pay attention to his fight with Dark Kat. He knew all too well what had happened. The scars in his thigh were still there to prove it. He saw another explosion and a tear escaped from his left eye. He saw Razor flipping trough the air and lying down limply on the sand. He saw himself limping towards Razor and being stopped and beaten by the ninjas. The image zoomed in and he could discern perfectly Razor's features.

He gasped and widened his eyes. He got so close to the screen his breath was dulling the image.

He saw Razor getting up and after a few moments limping towards his unconscious form. Tears of joy dropped from his eyes now as he drew his head back and softly touched Razor's image.

"He's... He's alive... He's alive... Now I understand why I couldn't kill myself... You are alive... You wouldn't let me..." - he whispered.

His lips returned promptly to a hard line when he saw the ninjas snatch Razor and drag the slim kat away from him. He gritted his teeth in rage when he saw Dark Kat approaching from behind Razor and delivering a blow to the back of his head, knocking Razor out cold.

Dark Kat approached T-Bone's unconscious form and inspected him for a second, after placing his foot on top of the big tabby's head and stomping his head down to the sand. Dark Kat walked back a few steps and headed in the same direction his ninjas had taken with Razor's limp body.

He could see Dark Kat's jaw moving in a familiar movement. He was laughing. He was laughing at them. T-Bone tensed every muscle in his bare torso.

An unearthly roar reverberated down the walls of the hangar and spread outside across the salvage yard while a fist punched through the screen right in the place where Dark Kat's face had been a second earlier, making it explode in a shower of minute glass debris.

T-Bone retrieved his blood-covered fist from the shattered screen and clenched it tighter, blood dripping to the floor and down his brawny forearm.

"That's the last straw, Dark Kat!" - he hissed, his eyes acquiring a bloodthirsty and ice-cold look - "Wherever you are, I'll find you and bring my brother back. THIS I SWEAR!"

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Later that night three kats rushed into an alley and stopped dead in their tracks.

"No exit!" - one of them shrieked in despair.

"It's a dead end!" - another said.

"'Dead' is right..." - a cold voice hissed from behind them. They spun around and saw two eyes flaring in the darkness.

"We're not going down without a f..."

The words were clipped off his mouth by a powerful punch in his chin. The kat staggered back and banged his head against the wall, passing out.

"C'mon... Make my day..." - the same icy voice defied.

Another one of the punks headed for him, drawing back his arm. He punched the darkness and felt his fist hit something. When he tried to retrieve his fist, he couldn't. It was stuck in something. However the ruffian never had the chance to understand what had happened, since a knee rammed his stomach, making him double over. The next thing he felt he was flying against the wall. He too banged his head and passed out.

"Wanna try your luck?" - T-Bone said stepping into the pale moonlight that lit one side of the alley.

"A SWAT Kat?" - the third thug gasped. He tried to punch T-Bone but the tabby grabbed his arm and twisted it behind the punk's back, clenching him against the wall. The kat groaned in pain when his face hit the rough brick wall.

"I'll ask only once: where's Dark Kat?" - T-Bone hissed in the kat's ear.

"Never heard of him..." - he answered. T-Bone twisted his arm even more, making a short yelp escape from the kat's lips.

"Wrong answer! Try again!" - T-Bone growled.

"I don't knoAAAAAAAAGGGHHH..." - his arm was now twisted at almost an impossible angle.

"Last chance, punk... Where is Dark Kat?"

"I told you already! I swear I don't know!" - the kat whimpered. T-Bone just sighed.

"Why do these punks always want to do it the hard way?" - he asked rhetorically.

"NO! I'M NOT LYING! I SWEAR I DON'T KNOW!" - he shrieked out loud.

"Tsk, tsk... Shame on you.... A tom of your age crying... Say, have you ever flown with an explosive up your tailhole?"

"W-what?" - the kat stuttered, looking back to T-Bone, fear filling his eyes.

"Have you?" - T-Bone insisted. The kat slowly shook his head in a negative, whimpering. T-Bone grinned, a cruel grin that sent shivers up the kat's spine.

"Y-you w-wouldn't..."

"Wanna try?" - he drew his glovatrix lower.

"WAIT! Wait, please!" - the kat wailed.

"You were saying something about Dark Kat, I believe?"

"All... All I know is that there'll be a fighting tournament... among the bad guys of this city..." - the kat blabbered.

"A tournament... *The* Tournament? Yeah, Dark Kat will be there, no doubt about it... Tell me where is that 'Tournament'."

"I-I don't know, I *swear* to the Holy Kats I don't know where..." - he never finished his sentence. T-Bone's punch clipped the words off his mouth. The kat joined the two that were lying in the ground.

T-Bone climbed up the fire escape to his left and jumped to the roof, heading for the TurboKat. He released the canopy and jumped aboard. He sat in his place, thinking.

"The Tournament... I've heard about it since I was in the Enforcers... Dark Kat will be there, I'm sure of that... But so will be every other villain of this city... But, where? Where is this year's Tournament? I don't even know who won the last one, so I don't even have the slightest clue where to look for... I certainly can't look in every house of Megakat City..." - he tought, groping his chin. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. - "Maybe Callie knows something...."

He retrieved his communicator and pressed the button in the center. For the first time, Callie's communicator started emitting its frantic beeping.

"What?" - She picked it up and answered - "Yes, T-Bone. What is it?"

T-Bone smirked. Usually it was the opposite: she kept calling them.

"Callie, I need some help. I'm on a clue but I need more information. Have you ever heard about something called "The Tournament"?" - he asked.

"Who hasn't? It takes place every four years in Megakat City but every time in a different place." - she answered.

"Do you know where is it going to be this year?"

"I'm not particularly a criminal, T-Bone! How could I possibly know where is it going to be?"

He blushed - "I-I... I... I didn't mean to imply that you were, Callie..." - he stammered.

"Drop it. I know you didn't. But I'm afraid I can't help you, T-Bone. I just know what everybody else knows."

"Okay... Well, thanks anyway, Callie..."

"Why are you so interested in the Tournament? Are you gonna be in it?"

"No... I won't... I'm not a criminal, you know?" - he heard her chuckling softly on the other side - "No, it's Dark Kat I'm after. He's got Razor."

"Huh? But isn't he...?

"No... He's alive... See you, Callie!"

"What? T-Bone..." - it was too late. She could only hear the sound of static. She placed the communicator inside her purse again and stared blankly at the papers on her living room table.

"That wasn't much of a help but what was thinking? She's not a criminal... It's *obvious* she doesn't know anything... But wait... Maybe that's it!"

He engaged the VTOL engines and flew off the building.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Felina was in her quarters, lying in her bed with the light out. The room was only dimly illuminated by the moonlight. She hadn't taken off her uniform yet. Besides the briefing reunion, it was a day like any other, with the usual amount of robberies, bank heists, husbands infuriated at their wives and vice-versa, some other wacko trying to throw himself off the top of one of Old MegaKat Bridge's pillars... In short, a normal day of work!

She wasn't thinking about those trivialities (other kats would call it 'disgraces', some others would call it 'awful events'... Pick a name you're comfortable with, she would say to those people) or about the briefing. She was still cracking her brain with what she now called 'The Chance/SWAT Kat Riddle'.

"Is it possible? Can he really be a SWAT Kat? Damn, it doesn't fit! Even the attitude doesn't fit!"

She suddenly heard a tap in her window. She sat upright and peered outside.

"C'mon, how can that be? I'm at the third floor and these windows don't have balcony! It must be just my imagination doing some extra hours..." - she said to herself as she lay back on the bed.

A few seconds later she heard the tapping again. There was no mistaking this time, she heard it distinctly! She got off the bed and went for her blaster, which was on its holster on top of the nightstand. She crouched near the bed and went to the window. She got up in a flash and trained the weapon on the window. There was nothing neither there nor outside. She opened the window and peered down. There was nobody there!

"How can this be? I heard it!"

"U-hum. Try to look up, Lieutenant..." - a gruff voice said from above her. 

The voice hadn't even finished the sentence and she was already looking up and aiming her blaster at T-Bone. The burly SWAT Kat fired a cement slug to her paw and she dropped the blaster. - "Didn't your uncle tell you not to play with guns 'cause they're dangerous?" - T-Bone taunted - "Just for your knowledge, I had more than enough time to kill you at least six times, Lieutenant."

She clenched her teeth, showing them. T-Bone smirked. That attitude was so... Feral, he thought. - "Well, like uncle, like niece, I think..."

"What are you doing here?" - she asked in a low raspy tone.

"Comfortable as you and I may be, I think we should talk in another place, don't you?" - he suggested, not without a heavy load of sarcasm.

"We have nothing to talk..." - she said and intended to go back inside her room again when a powerful paw snatched her right arm and took her off her room. - "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" - she shouted.

T-Bone drew her close to him and placed his paw over her mouth while rapidly reeling both of them up to the roof. When they got there, he let her go.

"That's kidnapping..." - she started but his determined voice put a term to the argument.

"That's enough, Lieutenant! Can we *please* go somewhere else to talk? I wouldn't be pleased if one of your colleagues found us up here!"

Felina powered down a bit. There wasn't any reason not to trust T-Bone. After all, he had saved her some times before. She acknowledged and T-Bone helped her to get inside the TurboKat. Seconds later, they were flying in the dark skies over Megakat City. Felina broke the silence.

"I believe you wanted to talk to me."

"I want..." - he paused for a few seconds. Felina was about to ask 'So?...' when he spoke again - "What do you know about 'The Tournament', Lieutenant?"

"I know it's an und..."

"I know that part backwards already. Who was the last winner?" - he snapped.

"I believe it was Dark Kat."

"So he's going to be in this year's Tournament."

"How can I know? I dunno the rules!"

"When will it be?"

"We know it will take place in five days." - she peered at her wristwatch - "Sorry, make that four days."

"Where?" - his heart was pounding so hard now he feared she could hear it.

"Indeterminate location."

Two words had frozen his blood. His heart fell to his feet. Again he was so close and again the truth was denied to him.

"Are you sure you don't know where is it, Felina?" - his question sounded almost like a pleading. He hated himself for that.

"Even if I knew the location of the Tournament, it would be classified information. What makes you think I would share it with you?"

"I'll take you back to your caserne."

They flew back to the building where her room was. They got both out of the black jet fighter.

"You're delivered, Lieutenant. Goodbye."

"Wait. I wanted to ask you... Is it really you, Chance?"

T-Bone turned to face her. He looked from one side to the other. Nobody. He approached her as he took off his helmet. The mask followed. She placed her paw in her mouth. T-Bone rapidly put his mask on again. He didn't want to take any more chances than the ones he took revealing his face. He went to the TurboKat and jumped aboard. Once inside he put the helmet on and strapped in. The canopy closed and he fired the VTOL engines. When he was floating a few meters above the roof level, he engaged the rear engines and disappeared in the night. Felina stood in her place, still in disbelief.

"He is... He really *is* a SWAT Kat..." - she whispered.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

T-Bone arrived at the hangar already past 2:00 A.M. He yawned while the canopy slid back and he strapped out of his seat, after what he jumped to the ground. Instead of going to his locker to take off his suit, he headed directly upstairs. He thought that, since the garage was closed and was late at night, there would be no danger in doing so.

He was tired, he had to admit it. After a whole day of training, he still had had to drop by Prof. Hackle's lab to pick up the TurboKat. Once inside the jet, he decided to pick on some small time criminals, beating around the bush, waiting for a certain purple kat to show his snout. But he only managed to get himself even more tired. So he headed directly upstairs.

"You're late!" - said a female voice from the living room couch, startling T-Bone, who spun in his heels with his glovatrix ready.

"Who's there?" - he ordered. The sudden rush of adrenaline had swept away any trace of weariness from his body. He was surprised to see Callie getting out of the couch and heading his way. - "Callie? H-how did you get in here?"

"Same way I did yesterday. Backdoor." - she answered with a smile on her face.

"Gotta fix that lock one of these days..." - he thought, lowering his glovatrix. - "What are you doing here this late?"

"Aren't you glad to see me?" - she asked, coquettishly.

"It's not that!" - he said. After a hard day what tom wouldn't be glad to see such an Aphrodite in front of him? - "It's just that you startled me, that's all."

"Well, you got me dead curious! So Jake is alive?" - she asked as she approached T-Bone.

"Yeah, he is. Prof. Hackle showed me a tape of one of his security cameras. I saw him being taken away by Dark Kat."

"So that's why you want to find him?"

"Yeah..." - T-Bone was entranced by Callie. It was getting hard for him to think. Maybe it was the fatigue or maybe it was simply the beauty of her features, lightening up his mood.

"Any luck?" - she asked. T-Bone didn't answer. He was too busy looking down to Callie. Only after Callie had repeated her question a second time, he snapped out of his trance and answered.

"No, not much... I just managed to know that the Tournament will be in four days." - he yawned - "Now I'm tired to death..."

"I see... I'd better be going."

"Oh, no! You're not driving back to your apartment alone at this hour of the night." - T-Bone said, alarmed. Then, he put the most seductive tone he could manage at that late hour in his voice - "However, I'll be happy to drive you home."

Callie caressed T-Bone's cheek. - "You're a sweet, Chance..." - once again, she snatched his head down to his lips for a long kiss. T-Bone picked her up in his arms.

"I've got a better idea... Why don't you sleep here?" - he seductively purred to her.

"I'd love to." - she purred back.

They went upstairs, to his bedroom. T-Bone didn't even poise Callie down to open the door. They entered in the darkened room, only faintly illuminated by the moonlight. T-Bone placed her gently over his bed. He took off his helmet and placed it on top of his nightstand. The harnesses followed, falling to the floor. Callie grabbed the collar of his G-suit and pushed him down, making T-Bone kneel on the floor. Their lips touched again and she unzipped his G-suit, sliding it to the tabby's back. He raised his arms, allowing her to take off his shirt. Her paws wandered along the powerful torso of the big SWAT Kat, eliciting a long warm purr deep in the tom's throat, which seemed to stimulate her more. T-Bone took off her pink sweater, kissing her in her neck. She too began purring deep in her throat. They lay down on the bed, side by side, in a warm embrace. The heat kept rising in their bodies and later that night, they became one, reaching the highest stars in the most remote of the galaxies for a few magic moments.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The morning came surprisingly fast that day. Callie opened her eyes and looked up to Chance. She was snuggled to the big tom, resting her face in his broad chest. Chance was still asleep, so she turned around as softly as she could and peered at the alarm clock in front of the helmet. She widened her eyes in shock. 9:00 A.M.! She bustled out of bed, waking up Chance. The tabby looked up at her naked back. What a better way to start a morning...

"The toilette is downstairs..." - he said, seductively - "Good morning, beautiful..."

"Oh, damn it! I'm so *late*!" - she shrieked as she dressed up. Chance got out of bed and went to her. He embraced her from behind. - "C'mon, Chance! I'm *ages* late!"

"You're not going anywhere before a good morning kiss..." - he purred in her ear. She turned back, her green eyes staring at him so lovingly it hurt. They kissed a swift kiss this time. She finished dressing and brushing her hair. And went downstairs. Chance was in the kitchen, making breakfast.

"Sure you don't wanna eat anything before you go?" - he asked her. Her stomach rumbled softly.

"Sorry but I really gotta go! I'll call you later, Chance!" - she said and stormed out of the garage.

"I'll be waiting!" - he responded to an empty garage.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The day passed, just like so many others, without any significant fact, without history. In Farrell Manor, Razor was sitting on top of one of the highest branches of a tree, staring at the setting sun. That day's practice had been a particularly hard one and his _gi_ was soaked in sweat. He closed his eyes, savoring the fresh breeze caressing the fur on his face and chest, cooling down his sore and tired muscles.

He thought about Chance. He had been Dark Kat's prisoner for almost three weeks now and he never had any more news from Chance since the day he was captured and his friend was lying in the sand, bleeding. He closed his eyes and sighed briefly.

"I wonder how are you doing, Chance? Last time I saw you, you seemed lifeless. Dark Kat told me you were alive and that gave me some comfort for a couple of days but... It has passed so much time since I last saw you... I miss you, Chance. I miss you badly..." - he smiled faintly - "If I know you well, you must be wreckin' the city lookin' for me..." - his smile disappeared - "...if you're alive...".

Razor opened his eyes and stared directly to the huge red orb sinking indolently in the horizon. - "What was that feeling the other day? I can't shake it off my head! I just felt something happened... I can't explain it better... Something happened... I don't know what, I don't know to who but... I just can't shake off this bad feeling about you, Chance... Maybe I'm overreacting, maybe it's nothing... I wholeheartedly hope so..."

He jumped directly to the ground and landed on his feet. He went to the showers. At least, he could wash himself everyday. It would have been unbearable not to after everyday practice. After the shower, he dressed his G-suit, which still bore the same rips and gashes that were made the day he was captured. He looked to the door. There he was, waiting for him. Razor smiled.

"Besides doctor and instructor, he's also my baby-sitter..." - he thought to himself.

"Hurry up! I don't have all day!" - he bawled to the slim kat.

Their relationship had cooled since that incident with Dark Kat's creeplings but only in one way. Razor respected the ninja even more than initially and obeyed his every command. He was truly fascinated by that tom, not only by his speed and strength but also by his wisdom.

"I'm coming, don't choke on a furball..." - Razor said as he went to the door. The ninja escorted Razor to his cell. Once Razor stepped inside, he closed and locked the door, sentencing Razor to his confinement of darkness.

"I don't get it..." - Razor thought - "He seems to hate Dark Kat as much as me or Chance but he obeys his every command... Sure, Dark Kat cannot be played with... I know the purple crud well enough to imagine what he would do... And it's not a pleasant thought... Still, I think Doc would have a pretty good chance to defeat Dark Kat in an individual combat..."

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Sweat flew off his fists and ran down his unclothed upper torso as he applied another series of punches to the sandbag. Chance had been down by the hangar the entire day, punching and kicking the sandbag. The upper part of his white _gi_ was lying in the floor, discarded. Swinging his body to dodge the sandbag he threw his left fist in an uppercut to the sandbag, sweat dropping from his forehead when he did so.

His muscles were sore and aching from the continuous effort he made today. His legs and arms were numb and threatening to turn into jelly at any moment. But he kept on punching and kicking. The lactic acid had already reached alarmingly high levels in his muscles, meaning they were working in anaerobiosis and were not giving their best already. The knifing pain the lactic acid caused was a warning signal of exhaustion. But Chance didn't pay attention to it.

A closer inspection would reveal his jaws tightly clenched. His black irises were misty and he was totally concentrated in what he was doing. Each punch and kick hit the desired part of the sandbag with almost a surgical precision.

If one could see through his eyes wouldn't see the sandbag in front of him. Instead, one would find a gloomy figure, much larger than the sandbag. Much larger than Chance himself.

One would see Dark Kat.

His gritted his teeth even more tightly, grinding them. He applied a huge blow to Dark Kat's ribs. He could hear the villain's bones cracking under his powerful fists. A jumping roundhouse kick would break the purple kat's jaw. A huge punch to his gut would cause enough internal injuries to make him die by internal hemorrhaging.

Chance saw Dark Kat delivering a blow to the back of Razor's head. He clenched his fists even more, piercing his skin with his claws and making blood spray out the cuts he had inflicted himself in his right fist when he punched the screen the day before. With a guttural roar he drew back his right arm and smashed it against Dark Kat's face with all his might. He saw Dark Kat's face turn into a black fleshy pulp under his powerful fist, the villain's black blood spurting from and to everywhere.

Chance remained in the same position for a few moments while he recovered his breath and his control, panting. His eyes returned to their normal translucent tone. The tabby blinked twice and looked drew his arm back, relaxing his muscles. He peered at the open cuts in his right fist for a single second. He didn't pay attention to them. He looked down to the blown sandbag at his feet, the sand spattered on the ground. His eyes closed while he drew in a deep breath.

"I'll find you Jake, don't worry... Now I understand what you were trying to tell me in my dreams..." - he mumbled in a bitter tone. He remembered his nightmare, when Razor was impaled against the gray boulder. He saw the slim kat's mouth movements and shook his head. It was so simple... And he took all that time to figure it out... Razor was asking for Chance's help. - "You were mouthing 'save me' all that time and I didn't realize it... But don't worry! Even if I have to tear this city apart, I'll find you and bring you home, lil' bro."

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Later that night, in Farrell Manor, the gloom of Razor's cell was broken when the ninja/doctor opened the heavy wooden door, allowing the glimmering light emanating from the torches burning outside, in the corridor, to ooze inside the small cubicle. The ninja stood at the door, his dark silhouette outlined in the orange flare.

"Get up. Dark Kat wants to see us all." - the ninja said. Razor complied and jumped from the cot. He passed by the ninja and waited for him in the corridor while the black-dressed kat closed the door of the slim kat's cell.

"What does Dark Crud wants?" - Razor asked, falling in a steady pace alongside the ninja.

"Beats me. But whatever that purple crud wants, must not be a good thing..." - the ninja responded.

"Why do you do it?" - Razor asked.

"Do what?"

"Why do you obey him?"

"It's my duty..." - the older tom said, his tone not leaving room for any more questions.

They walked in silence until they reached a large room, where all of Dark Kat's ninjas stood. The room was, indeed, large, with more than fifty square meters. The walls were painted in a very bright shade of beige and stuffed with paintings and tapestries representing everyday scenes from the Dark Ages. A shield with a family crest carved and two crossed swords adorned the far-off wall. Standing underneath the shield and the swords, in an elevated platform made of mahogany, stood a king-sized chair, like a throne, also made of the same wood. The floor was composed of waxed pieces of mahogany with some intricate drawings on them, disposed in a spine-like motif. Two huge candelabra made of crystal pendants provided all the light needed.

The ninja took Razor to the front row and stood by his side. Somewhere from behind the crowd, the two big mahogany doors opened up wide with a loud clanging. Dark Kat stormed between the ninjas, passing over the red carpet and heading to the chair. Before sitting down, he stood upright before the crowd of black-dressed masked kats, which bowed to the purple kat. All except Razor. Dark Kat finally sat down. All the remaining kats in the room stood to attention.

"Betrayal..." - Dark Kat started in his thundering voice - "... is an act that throughout times has been considered abject in every civilization. Although, in every civilization and in every epoch there have been traitors, two-faced kats, turncoats, kats who changed faction when they thought the time was right. And, in every civilization, in every epoch, the punishment have always been the same..."

Dark Kat scanned his audience with his pupil-less orange eyes, his brows furrowed and a distasteful grimace in his lips.

"Death..." - he concluded his train of thought. A few kats flinched almost imperceptibly. Dark Kat raised from his throne.

"The reason I called you here is a simple one. You are about to witness a judgement." - he raised his left arm and moved it in an arc, so that he could forestall the entire crowd. - "In this room, one among you, will be accused... of treason."

A few ninjas looked at each other. Razor wasn't liking the course the monologue was taking a single bit. By his side, the ninja/doctor never flinched.

"And that one is none other than..." - he scanned the room with his left forefinger until he pointed it directly to the doctor - "...you."

The ninjas gulped and widened their eyes. So did Razor. The doctor never showed any expression. He just took two steps forward.

"You gave our position to the Enforcers. I, Dark Kat, charge you of treason, consider you guilty and sentence you to the capital penalty. Take him away." - he stated out.

"I challenge you to a duel of honor. To the death." - the doctor stated in a firm and loud tone. That simple sentence froze his warders in their tracks. Dark Kat noticed it.

"What are you waiting for to comply with my orders?" - he bellowed in his booming voice. The kats shuddered and dropped their heads to their chests, turning their back on Dark Kat and stepping away.

"If you want me dead, Dark Kat, then *you* will have to kill me. I challenged you to an individual combat and they know they can't interfere. The only way you'll kill me is by doing it yourself." - the ninja defied Dark Kat.

The purple kat narrowed his eyes and suddenly started laughing. - "You really think you're skilled enough to match me? Very well, I accept your challenge." - Dark Kat said as he walked down the stairs.

The ninja narrowed his eyes and disappeared. The next second, he was near Dark Kat, ramming his knee against the huge kat midriff, disappearing again. Dark Kat doubled over, saliva escaping from his mouth. The ninja reappeared behind Dark Kat and hit the huge kat in the back with his elbow, causing Dark Kat to crash in the floor.

Razor had his eyes opened up wide. He didn't even see him. Dark Kat was on the ground in all fours.

"Cursed..." - he stammered, getting up to his feet - "You caught me by surprise but I assure you I won't make the same mistake..."

"You already did." - the ninja said, appearing beside Dark Kat again and punching him in the face. Dark Kat spurted some black blood from his mouth. The ninja lunged to him again, preparing a flying kick but this time, Dark Kat was aware. He grabbed the ninja's foot and threw him like a doll to the wall to his right. The ninja twisted his torso and landed on all fours on the wall, boosting from it and towards Dark Kat.

"Old trick..." - Dark Kat said when he threw a punch upward, catching the ninja in mid-flight and delivering a huge blow to the kat's stomach. The ninja went flying up to the ceiling and rammed his back against the concrete. The gravity pulled him down to the ground again, where Dark Kat was awaiting him. He rammed his knee in the gut of the ninja and, in a swift motion, slammed his closed fists on the kat's back, making him crash on the ground and spurt some blood, soaking his mask.

Dark Kat grabbed the kat by the neck and took off his mask, revealing his snout stained in red. The purple kat drew back his fist and punched the ninja's snout, eliciting some more spurts of blood from his nostrils. He let the ninja fall helplessly to the ground and stomped his back. Suddenly, a soft cracking sound was heard coming from the ninja's back and a heart-rending scream of pain echoed in the room.

"NO! STOP IT!" - Razor shouted and lunged to the fallen kat but his fellow ninjas stopped him. He looked back, incredulously. What was wrong with them? Weren't they aware that their master was in trouble? One of the ninjas that were holding him sadly shook his head no.

"It's an individual combat. We *cannot* interfere or our master would be dishonored... All we can do is... stare..." - the ninja said. Razor noticed a single tear trickle down the little patch of fur that wasn't covered by his mask. The slim kat settled down and looked with anguish to his master.

"I-I... I can't... feel my legs... I can't feel my legs..." - the doctor thought as tears slid down his eyes. Dark Kat picked up the limp form by the back of the ninja's head. His paw was so huge that he managed to lift the ninja's body completely from the ground, his feet dangling a few inches above the floor.

"You weren't even a worthy opponent..." - Dark Kat oozed, looking at him askew. He grinned, a chilling grin. - "However, I will let you die condignly."

His huge paw tightened the grip around the ninja's skull. The ninja never had time to vocalize a scream before his head exploded due to Dark Kat's pressure in his skull. Blood and bits of his brain flew in every direction, sprinkling over the closest ninjas, Razor included. The beheaded body of the ninja fell limply to the ground. Dark Kat opened his paw and dropped a few shards of bone. The ninja's eyeballs fell over the floor with their respective optic nerves still attached. The rest of the kat's head was an unrecognizable red and white mass.

"Justice is served." - Dark Kat said, looking down to the beheaded body. The carotids were spraying blood, which formed a pool on the floor. The huge kat looked to the ninjas. They were terrified with the macabre scene in front of them.

"My kats!" - he started in his rumbling voice - "Before you is the dead body of your former master. He thought he could betray me. He thought he could take on me. He paid for those errors with his life." - Dark Kat made a dramatic pause, scanning the room with his eyes - "Take a good look at him. Think well on the fate he had. It will be the fate of everyone who opposes me."

One by one, every ninja observed the decapitated corpse, a visible tremor ravaging each organic form, like a transient wave.

"All of you came here because you believed in something. Because we shared a goal. I rewarded you by transmitting the ancient indoctrination of the _ninjutsu_. To all of you I ask to think carefully on what I am now about to demand from you.

Swear me that you are resolved to conquer this pathetic city!

Swear me that you will follow my leadership!

SWEAR ABSOLUTE AND ETERNAL LOYALTY TO ME!"

Every ninja raised his right arm and shouted, the sound reverberating down the walls of the room.

"HAIL, DARK KAT, SUPREME COMMANDER! WE WILL BREATHE SOLELY FOR YOU!"

In a corner of the room, a thunderstruck Razor whispered - "Hail, Dark Kat, supreme commander... I will breathe solely for you..."

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Razor went back to his cell. The hours dragged but the slim kat was unable to sleep. It was about 3:00 A.M. when he retrieved his mask and cried a silent cry.

"I-I... I can't... I can't believe what I saw..." - he thought as he cleaned the wetness off his face with his sleeve - "Doc... I never came to know his name... The only kat that helped me since I came here... And he killed him! He killed him cold-bloodedly! Dark Kat is a psycho... Who does he think he is? The Holy Kats?" - a new wave of commotion and anguish overwhelmed him when he remembered the explosion, the fragments of brain and the blood splattered everywhere. He almost threw up when he remembered it. He leaned against the wall.

"This world is a tough one... I only fought it but I never knew how things were in the world of crime... Now I know: obey or die... And die in the most horrible way possible... This is what's expecting me in the Tournament! Either I win... or I die... I'll have to face single-handedly all of this city's criminals! And the Tournament is already after tomorrow! Dark Kat anticipated it one day because of the Enforcer's strike! I only have one more day to get myself ready..." - he closed his eyes and tears ran down his facial fur - "Chance, if I don't come back, I hope you'll somehow know that I died fighting the enemy... As a true soldier, like you are..."

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Chance was in his bed for quite sometime now but he couldn't sleep. He was restless, as if sensing Jake's agitation in his cell in Farrell Manor. His whole body hurt now, that stinging pain we all experience the next day after a hard workout. But he wasn't paying attention to it. He knew the pain would go away. He got out of bed and headed downstairs, for the hangar. He suited up and got aboard the TurboKat. Minutes later, the darkened skies were filled with the roar of the jet's engines, the black silhouette of the fighter outlined against the moon. Again, the great vigilante was out for some trouble. The criminals had better watch their backs tonight 'cause wherever they'll be, they can rest assured that T-Bone will not be too far behind...

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The dawn came unannounced. Razor looked up to the barred window and saw the first morning rays of light clearing the skies. The slim kat hadn't slept one minute the previous night. He kept seeing the head blow up in a red explosion. Razor knew he would have nightmares for several nights because of that. He tried to think about the Tournament and that made him even more restless.

"What kind of punks will I face? Dr. Viper? The PastMaster?" - he gulped, sitting upright - "The Metallikats? How can I beat the Metallikats with my bare paws?"

Razor's thoughts and worries were interrupted when someone inserted the key in the lock of the heavy wooden door and opened it. Razor gulped. Dark Kat was at the door.

"You haven't slept." - he stated. Razor just shook his head in a negative. - "Go out and practice. This is your last day of practice before the Tournament."

Dark Kat stepped forward towards the slim kat. All the defiance and the acid responses had disappeared from the slim kat's heart as he flinched slightly when the huge kat approached..

"I hope you do not disappoint me. I won every Tournament I was in and I don't expect to lose this one... Now run along." - the purple kat ordered. Razor had no other choice but to obey.

If his face were unmasked, if it was Jake and not Razor that stood in front of Dark Kat, the huge purple villain would have seen a new feeling in the slim kat's eyes. He would have seen fear. Granted, spending three weeks with that maniac were affecting Razor's mind. And fact is, last night's macabre show triggered all of Razor's hidden fears.

True, Razor was a very good fighter, an excellent warrior, to be precise. But that didn't mean he *liked* to fight. No. Razor was a fighter but only if he had to. Razor would only resource to his fists when he saw there was no other way out. And he dreaded every blow he gave. His worst fear was losing control over himself and ending up killing - or even worse, crippling - someone.

Yes, Razor hated violence and, however, he had one of the most violent lifestyles he could have - crime fighting. And, presently, he was in the most violent of worlds... He was inside the world of crime... There he would have to fight constantly in order just to survive. Now, he was experiencing a new kind of fear. The fear you feel when you find someone much stronger, violent and vicious than you. He feared for his own life. Against that fear there was only one way out: to struggle harder, stronger, more violently and more viciously than the other. And that took him to his other fear, completing the circle.

But he was decided not to go down without a good fight. He had gained a new respect for Dark Kat but only because the purple kat was stronger than he was. He didn't share his sickly thirst for power nor his distorted ideas about justice. He was sure of two things, presently: one, that he would give his best in the Tournament; two, that he had to kill Dark Kat, sooner or later, and rid the world of his malefic presence.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

T-Bone returned to the salvage yard late in the morning. He was falling apart. The sleepiness finally began reaching his exhausted body and he forced himself to go back to base despite the fact he hadn't learnt anything new about the Tournament's location. He jumped out of the jet and staggered across the cold concrete floor. The freshness of the place woke him up a bit from his stupor. He undressed and headed upstairs in his shorts and undershirt. After practically dragging himself upstairs, to his bedroom, he finally sank in the bed and instantly fell asleep.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"Lieutenant Feral reporting, *sir*!" - Felina saluted her uncle after she entered his office in Enforcer Headquarters and closing the door behind her.

"At ease, Lieutenant." - Feral said as he shuffled through a few papers. She had to wait five minutes before her uncle addressed her. - "Felina come here."

She went to his huge desk. On top of it was a military chart, with its familiar brown curves, red spots, blue lines and light green areas. The title on it only said 'MegaKat - West side; 1:25 000'. She noted a pencil-made circle around one particular red parallelepiped.

"Farrell Manor?" - she asked. Her uncle nodded. - "It's really off the city's limits."

"Yes. If they wanted tranquility, they'll find it there."

"How's the attack gonna be?" - she asked. Feral took another sheet from under the map. It was the schematic of a building. - "How did you get this?"

"I have my sources." - he simply replied. He pointed to the center of the big house. - The fights will take place here. There's an underground passage that leads to a large cave underneath the mansion. The arena must be down there."

"So, where are we gonna break in?"

Feral pointed to the entrance of the underground cavern. - "That's a problem. The cave only has one way in, which is, simultaneously, the only way out. I'm thinking a group of kats will break in and wreck havoc while another two groups will be situated here and here, in the middle and in the end of the access corridor. The ones who escaped from the first group will fall in the paws of the second. Besides, the corridor will end in a large room. I want another group there to round up any remaining punks. Finally, I want a ring of kats surrounding the mansion."

"But that will mobilize most if not all of our force! MegaKat city will be defenseless!" - she stated.

"I'm well aware of that. It's an acceptable risk." - Feral said, clenching his teeth. - "This time he *won't* escape!" - Feral rumbled, smacking his closed fist on the desktop.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The day passed fast, giving way to the dark cloak of the night. And a bad night it was. A strong cold wind started blowing after the sunset, carrying heavy storm clouds to the periphery of Megakat City. The flashes of lightning illuminated the air around the Megakat Mountains. Undoubtedly, tomorrow it would rain in Megakat City.

In Farrell Manor, Razor was lying back in his cot. The practice that day wasn't as hard as he would have wanted but he was tired. He had made a resolution during practice. He would win the Tournament, no matter at what cost. He was still in these daydreams when he heard the already familiar noise of the key being inserted into the lock and being turned. The orange flare of the torches burning outside invaded the small cubicle. Dark Kat was standing at the door with a torch in his right paw. He entered Razor's cell and closed the door.

"Mind if I join you for a while?" - he asked. Razor sat up in the cot, making room for the huge kat. Dark Kat sat down on the cot by Razor's side, passing the torch to his left paw. Razor looked at the purple kat. At the weak glimmering light of the torch, Dark Kat seemed an ancient demon taken from some horrid dungeon in a fairy tale. Razor noticed that Dark Kat's eyes glowed with a flare of their own rather than reflecting the light like his pupils did.

"So... You think you're ready for tomorrow?" - Dark Kat asked the slim kat, looking directly to him.

"I am..." - he simply responded. A few heavy seconds passed before Razor spoke again. - "Who will I face?"

"We don't know that yet. The fights will be decided tomorrow first thing in the morning in front of all fighters. But I can give you a list of those I think are more likely to enroll in the quarterfinals. The Metallikats, the PastMaster, Dr. Viper..." - he growled when he mentioned the scientist - "... Hard Drive, Chop Shop, Rex Shard, Turmoil and MadKat. I don't think any of the small time criminals will manage to surpass the trial matches." - the huge kat boomed.

Razor shifted his position in the cot uncomfortably. That was what he feared: only the stronger ones would pass...

"How many contestants are there?" - the slim kat asked.

"Not many... We only have sixty two this year. The first time I was in the Tournament they were about two hundreds..."

"I see... So, what do I have to do to win?"

"You have four ways to win a bout in the Tournament: by knock out, by ring out and by forcing your opponent to give up..." - Dark Kat said as he counted each way of winning by his fingers.

"What's the forth way?" - Razor queried, cocking one eyebrow under his mask. Dark Kat grinned.

"My favorite... Death..." - he oozed while the roar of thunder rumbled softly in he distance. Razor narrowed his eyes until they were nothing but thin slits.

"You're a murderer... You'd prefer them all dead, wouldn't you?" - the slim kat hissed.

Dark Kat raised from the cot and walked to the wall with the barred window. The gap stood at his eyes' level and he stared at the dark skies. A lightning ray crisscrossed the stormy cloud. Seconds later, the crack of a distant thunder came to their ears.

"Would I surprise you if I said that I don't prefer them all dead, SWAT Kat?" - Dark Kat asked, still gazing outside. Razor didn't answer. - "Well I don't want them dead. Though stonehearted and ruthless I may seem, I still have a heart pounding inside my chest. A heart as dark as the night itself but still a heart. 

I am not the bloodthirsty megalomaniac you and every one else think I am. Sure, I have a predilection for a nice killing but I do *not* murder indiscriminately. I don't expect you to understand my reasons... No one does...

My goal is not to destroy this city... or this planet... I don't have the power to do so... yet..." - he completed before the rumble of thunder growled in the distance.

Razor flinched and jerked his head towards Dark Kat. The purple kat had his back turned to Razor. He could attack him now...

"Don't even try!" - Dark Kat boomed, turning his head to Razor just enough to look askew at the slim kat. Again, with the glimmering reddish flare of the torch behind his head obscuring his face, Razor saw his eyes glowing with an orange light of their own, making Razor gulp. The allegory of the ancient demon came back to his mind.

"No, my goal is not total destruction." - Dark Kat continued his train of thought - "My goal is domination. I want to rule this miserable planet. I want to rule katkind. Many casualties will have to be made in order for me to keep my promise of revenge upon this miserable, sordid and narrow-minded civilization called katkind..." - he growled as he clenched his left fist so hard his bones popped. Razor saw a few black drops stain the earthy ground. Dark Kat loosened the grip on his own fist before continuing his monologue.

"However, I know there are many kats out there that share my viewpoints... Those will survive if they submit to my will... My perfect world will begin with the complete annihilation of the justice machine that only apparently protects Megakat City... To the katizens of Megakat City who accept my leadership will be given peace... My peace... Pax Nigrufelina... All of those who swear loyalty to me will be blessed by the Pax Nigrufelina!"

"What about us, the SWAT Kats?" - Razor asked.

"So you see, I don't want to kill everyone!" - Dark Kat continued, ignoring Razor's question - "I don't ant to kill all my opponents as well. I want them to respect me... to fear me... And, that kind of domination, by fear, is the most powerful of all! A few will have to be sacrificed in one way or the other... I do not tolerate felonies... Like that miserable ninja tried... Like Viper did..." - he growled.

If Dark Kat's face weren't facing the wall, Razor would have seen his eyes flare brighter for a moment when he mentioned the reptilian scientist's name. The purple kat turned abruptly in his heel, with a swirl of his cloak, the draping sound cutting the air so loud it seemed a storm, the torch leaving a trail of sparks behind.

"As for you, SWAT Kat, you will do *exactly* as I command... Otherwise..." - he retrieved the vial with Razor's blood from an inner pocket of his robe - "...this will be analyzed and the results will be compared..."

"Shouldn't my blood be clotted already?" - he asked sardonically.

"Not if the vial in which it is stored contains some heparin, it won't..." - Dark Kat responded as he hoarded the vial again - "Have a good night of sleep. The combats will begin first thing in the morning."

Dark Kat headed for the heavy wooden door and opened it as though it just weighted a few pounds. He paused and spun back to face Razor once more.

"Don't fail me, SWAT Kat... I do not tolerate failures..." - he boomed. With another swirl of his cloak he abandoned the cell and locked the door, leaving Razor delivered to the darkness once again.

"Seems like there's a lot of things you don't tolerate, Dark Crud..."

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Chance had slept the entire day to compensate the fact of being up all the previous night. He woke up already after sunset. After taking a bath and his breakfast (though at that hour it should have been called a dinner instead) he stubbornly headed downstairs and suited up again, fleeing off the salvage yard and into the stormy night. The winds were strong but weren't threatening, at least for someone as experienced as T-Bone. Besides, the storm wasn't centered over Megakat City yet but that the next day would be a wet one, no one would have a doubt about that.

From his privileged place above, he could see the streets below punctuated with hundreds of red and white lights. He got away from the main boulevards and headed for the poorest districts. There, the scenario changed. Few cars circulated trough those narrow streets, filled with alleys and dead ends here and there. The public illumination was very poor if it existed at all.

He landed the TurboKat on top of on of the neighboring apartment buildings and got out of it. The cold winds lashed his facial fur. It was getting really cold and the winds turned more vigorous by the moment, with sudden gusts that took the dust off the gravel of the rooftop and flogged his face. No way he could use his delta backpack to swish to the ground. He decided to use a more conventional way and headed for the fire escape.

Minutes later he was in the street level. The winds weren't so lashing there and the temperature was somewhat warmer. He went to a dark alley to his left and inspected it. It was empty. However, he went to it and fired his grappling hook to the rooftop to his right, reeling himself up. Again, he went to the border of the roof and studied the situation before him.

"Crud... It looks like that even these thugs are afraid of a little bit of wind..." - he mumbled through gritted teeth to himself after inspecting another empty alley. He crouched on top of the border of the roof, waving his hips as he patted the border, measuring the distance between the rooftop where he stood and the next. He crouched a bit more and jumped over the void, landing perfectly on the other side on all fours without a sound. He straightened up and repeated the procedure. Five alleys ahead he finally sensed his luck was changing.

"Dark Kat's ninjas talking to someone... Great!" - he muttered under his breath. Without thinking, he jumped to the street, two stories down.

The three ninjas spun back in their heels when they heard a powerful thump behind them. They saw T-Bone stepping to them with decisive stomps, his eyes nearly glowing, brows furrowed under his mask, teeth gritted. The black-dressed kats were not intimidated by T-Bone's threatening pose and were assuming fighting stands when T-Bone attacked.

One ninja just saw one huge black leather paw rushing to his face and grabbing him. T-Bone grabbed the ninja's face and rammed the back of his head against the wall. A red burst splattered on the wall and the kat hung limply in his powerful paw, falling to the ground. He would later be found and taken to a hospital, where he would stay for thirty days recovering from the blow before being arrested.

The second ninja punched T-Bone's ribs but the big SWAT Kat seemed possessed and backhanded the ninja's face with his paw clenched. The black-dressed kat turned his head to the other side and spurted some blood, which soaked his mask. T-Bone took advantage of that moment of distraction and applied a one-two punch into the kat's midriff and chin. Clenching the ninja against the wall T-Bone rammed his knee on his gut, making him double over. A few moments later, the ninja looked up but only saw T-Bone jumping in the air and delivering him a huge blow to the ninja's face that sent him spinning three times over himself before crashing in the ground.

T-Bone spun in his heel and looked askew to the third ninja, who was near the fire escape. The thug they were talking to had taken advantage of the turmoil the big tabby had created and was far from there already. T-Bone stepped calmly to the ninja. The black-dressed kat attacked T-Bone with a flying-kick. The big tabby's mind flashed back to the day when he fought Dark Kat in the beach. Almost by reflex, he grabbed the ninja's leg and sank his claws in the muscle of his thigh, dragging them and opening big gashed from where the blood spurted and fell on the floor. A bloodcurdling cry of pain echoed in the alley followed by a muffled groan when T-Bone punched the ninja right in his nose, breaking it. The ninja stepped away from the big SWAT Kat.

"What's the matter?" - T-Bone said in an ice-cold voice - "Are you scared? Well, you should be, 'cause I'm gonna give you the same treating I gave to them." - he pointed to the two ninjas fallen at his feet.

The ninja reached discretely his thigh pocket and as fast as a lightning, he threw a sphere to the ground. The sphere blew up and a thick curtain of white smoke came out, making him disappear from view.

"NO!" - T-Bone shouted as he passed through the smoke screen. The ninja wasn't there anymore. He instinctively looked up and still managed to see the ninja climbing onto the roof and getting away. T-Bone fired his grappling hook and reeled himself up as fast as the small motor inside his glovatrix could. T-Bone got onto the roof and looked from one side to the other. The ninja had simply vanished in thin air. - "CRUD!" - he shouted. He reeled himself down again and saw one of the ninjas was moving. He went to him and turned him around, shaking him.

"Where's the Tournament?" - he snarled. The ninja's eyes were rolling as thought they wanted to get out of their eye sockets. The ninja remained mute. T-Bone shook him harder. - "WHERE'S THE TOURNAMENT, DAMN YOU?"

Everything the ninja vocalized were some gurgling sounds. T-Bone took off the ninja's mask and saw a whitish icky fluid running down the corner of his mouth. The smell stung his nostrils and he let the ninja go.

"NO!" - he said aloud, stepping back - "Cyanide! The wretch killed himself!

T-Bone looked around. The other ninja was out cold yet. He heard the sound of sirens. Someone must have called the Enforcers. He went back to the TurboKat and flew off to the salvage yard. He punched the side of the cockpit with his left fist while he clenched his jaws in rage.

"DAMN IT! I blew it this time! My rage has blinded me again! AGAIN!"

An unearthly roar echoed inside the cockpit of the black jet fighter while it stormed to the underground hangar.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The morning came finally though Razor's cell was still immersed in darkness. The sun hovered above the heavy cloak of rain clouds, which shielded the ground from its vital rays. A drowsy drizzling rain started pouring down the gray sheets that enveloped the skies. Behind them stood the large ink-black storm clouds that threatened to flood the city, though they were still circling above the Megakat Mountains.

Again the all too familiar sound of a revolving lock came to his ears. He pricked them and sleepily raised his torso, sitting up on the cot, stretching and yawning.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" - Dark Kat asked. Razor widened his eyes for a single second, remembering the words Doc said to him the morning he met the ninja. That fuelled even more Razor's desire of victory. He just nodded to Dark Kat and they walked out of the cell. The torched in the corridor were still burning, though it was noticeable that they wouldn't resist much more time.

"So, this is it... There's no turning back now... " - he thought as he clenched and loosened the grip on his own fists rhythmically - "Guide my blows, Chance... Guide my blows, big brother..."

"Are you ready?" - Dark Kat asked, looking down on the slim kat as they walked along the stony corridor.

"I'm ready! Bring 'em on!" - Razor said as he smacked his right fist against the palm of his left paw.

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

TO BE CONTINUED...

-------------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Musical inspirations:

Bomfunk MC's _Freestyler_ for the fighting sequences, namely those with T-Bone/Chance;

Andrew Gold's _The Trouble Man_ for the solo sequences of T-Bone/Chance.

Era's _Sempire d'Amor_ for the inner conflict scenes of Razor;

Roxette's _Milk & Toast & Honey_ for the first scene when Callie finds Chance after the shot and following scenes with them.

Lyan Rimes' _Can't Fight the Moonlight_ for the scene between Callie and T-Bone (you know which scene I'm talking about...)


	3. THE TOURNAMENT - Part Three

TITLE: THE TOURNAMENT - PART THREE

AUTHORS: C. L. Furlong & Ricochet

DATE: August 10, 2001

FINISHED: October 27, 2001

FINAL REVISION: November 01, 2001

E-MAILS: 

Chance_lizard_furlong@aeiou.pt

Riochet@msn.mail.com

RATING: R for violent content

SUMMARY: The Tournament finally arrives and Razor has to fight in order to survive while Dark Kat "feathers his nest" at the cost of Razor's blood. Can T-Bone learn the location of the event in time to save his friend from certain death?

DISCLAIMER: SWAT Kats and anything related to the series is property of Hanna-Barbera. No infringement is intended and no profit is gained with this fiction.

COMMENTS: Okay, this is going a bit out of hand... This story was supposed to have only *one* part and it's already on its third and a *fourth* part is underway... Yeah, I had a lot to write about it... Very well, the Tournament finally arrives and Razor... Well, you'll se it for yourselves... I think I don't handle well the fighting sequences. Nevertheless, I hope this is enjoyable. Again, there's some violent content. Not as much as in Parts One and Two but there's some violence here too. Again, thank you so much for this story, Felicia... A thanks goes also to Helion for his reviews on this fic. Again, I reiterate that these "Tournament" fictions aren't related to my "Final Resistance" series. C. U. all, SK fans!

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

THE TOURNAMENT - PART THREE

Dark Kat took Razor to a large room, even larger than that where Doc met his doom. Razor saw the elevated rings, where the trial matches would take place. He saw his opponents. They were all there: Viper, Mac and Molly Mange, the PastMaster, Turmoil, Hard Drive, Chop Shop, Rex Shard, Lenny Ringtail, Greenbox and a bunch of other fiercely-looking thugs he had never seen before.

"Dear contestants... Fellow villains... Welcome to my humble home..." - Dark Kat stated out as he entered the room. Every head in the place turned to meet Dark Kat's figure. Some of the pupil-less eyes present widened when they saw the slim SWAT Kat beside the crime overlord.

"What the... A SSSWAT Kat?" - Viper hissed - "What'sss *he* doing here?"

A chorus of similar questions and demands ensued after Viper's words. Dark Kat silenced them all simply by rising his right paw.

"The SWAT Kat is here because I 'invited' him. *He* will be my fighter during this Tournament." - the huge purple kat stated out. If the other villains' eyes widened when they saw Razor, they nearly jumped out of their orbits this time.

"You can't do that!" - Viper hissed - "In all my yearsss here in the Tournament, no one has ever..."

Viper never finished his sentence. Dark Kat gave him a look that nearly froze his blood. The other villains saw it too and settled down.

"The rules of the Tournament..." - Dark Kat said, in his booming voice - "... are very clear, Viper. They state anyone can enter in this contest and that any contestant has the right to choose a representative. I have fought every time the event happened. This year, I chose to be represented."

"Getting too old to handle the pressure, Dark Kat?" - Viper taunted and chuckled dryly.

Dark Kat narrowed his eyes. Taking two fast steps forward he rapidly covered the distance separating him and Viper and grabbed the reptilian scientist by his lab coat, lifting him in the air.

"Must I remember you that I'm not in the Tournament? I could crush your bones right now if I wanted!" - he growled. Viper just grinned.

"I don't think ssso, Dark Kat!" - he sibilated and suddenly wrapped his tail around Dark Kat's neck. - "Now what? Crush my bones if you want to but I'll break your neck first!"

Dark Kat narrowed his eyes even more until they were nothing but tiny slits with an intense fire burning behind. He powered down and let Viper go. Viper loosened his tail and it slithered away from the purple kat's neck. However, Dark Kat grabbed Viper's tail tightly in his huge left paw.

"I'll let you leave now, Viper but *never* try that stupidity with me again... Otherwise, you won't live enough to regret it..." - he said and threw the tip of Viper's tail towards the green scientist. The tension was nearly palpable. Razor thought it was so thick one could cut it with a knife. Viper looked to the slim SWAT Kat and chuckled dryly.

"Thisss Tournament will be a piessse of cake... You're dead, SSSWAT Kat! Thisss much I assure you!"

"Hey, leave something to us!" - Molly said. Her husband agreed.

"Yeah... I think we *all* would like to settle a score here with our little flytom, am I right, gang?" - Mac said, turning to the remaining sixty-one kats behind him, which also agreed in loud agitation.

"Let me fry him!" - Hard Drive said.

"And then I'll chop him!" - Chop Shop added.

"Not before I have reduced him to a red fleshy pulp!" - Rex Shard stated.

Razor gulped. He didn't like that a single bit. Dark Kat stepped in front of the slim kat and once again rose his right arm, silencing the raging crowd.

"*No one* is going to touch in a single fur of the SWAT Kat until we have decided the matches! The draw will begin in a few minutes. Then we will know who will fight who during the trial matches." - the purple crime overlord stated and headed for a pulpit with a wooden box in it. A ninja brought a packet of small cards and delivered it to Dark Kat. - "In these cards you have all signed your names. I'll throw them inside this box and mix them. Then I'll draw out one card at a time and the name will be written in that board behind me. The second card I retrieve will have the name of the opponent of the first contemplated and so on. The winner from this couple will fight the winner of the next couple and so on. Any doubts?" - the kats remained silent. - "Then, let's proceed with..."

Suddenly, a ninja irrupted into the room and headed directly to Dark Kat. They interchanged a few words and the ninja left. Dark Kat turned to the crowd and addressed to it.

"There are pressing matters that need my assistance now." - he pointed to one of the ninjas - "You. Come here and carry on with the draw. I'll be here as soon as possible." - and with this he left the room. The ninja did as he was told and went to the pulpit. Inserting his paw inside the box, he retrieved a card and read out loud the name in there, showing the card to the crowd.

"Leider Greenbox!"

Another ninja wrote down the name on the board. The first kat drew out another card and read it out loud.

"Stevenson!"

And so, the draw continued on.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"This had better be important or heads will roll!" - Dark Kat boomed as he headed for the infirmary. The ninja in front of him just gulped. He knew Dark Kat all too well to know the huge kat *really* meant what he said. They reached the infirmary and the ninja held the door open for Dark Kat, closing it when the purple kat stepped inside.

What greeted Dark Kat at the infirmary was not a pleasant sight but the purple kat had a stony heart and that wouldn't make him flinch. One of his ninjas was sitting on a stretcher. His right leg was uncovered and he rested it on top of the bed. That would be alright weren't it the fact his thigh bore three huge rips and his blood was dripping to the ground. His snout was also bleeding, or had bled, for it presented a dark red color in it.

"Report." - he ordered. No emotion was palpable in his voice.

"The other SWAT Kat did this to me when I was spreading the word of the Tournament's new date. My comrades were knocked out when attempting to resist him. Your highness, the SWAT Kat seemed to have gone insane! He was so enraged I could swear his eyes were glowing... My comrades were no match for him. Neither was I... I was lucky to escape alive!" - the severed ninja said. His voice had a tinge of fear in it, whether it was of T-Bone or of Dark Kat, it didn't matter. Maybe it was of them both! If he had known what was expecting him, he'd wish to have stayed in the alley with T-Bone.

"And you ran away like the coward you are..." - Dark Kat boomed, shaking his head.

"But... But... The SWAT Kat was about to kill me! Your highness, I had no other choice but..."

The following sound emerging from the ninja resembled a dry bough breaking up. In less then a second, his head was twisted at an impossible angle and his eyes were staring without seeing. He fell over the stretcher limply, a thin thread of blood oozing down from the left corner of his snout.

Dark Kat stepped to the door and opened it. A ninja was standing guard outside the infirmary. He called the ninja, which came inside the room and stumbled, stopping dead in his track when he saw the lifeless body on top of the stretcher. He went to his comrade and checked him.

"He's dead!" - the ninja said.

"Then his troubles are over. Get rid of him. And summon three of your colleagues. I'll be waiting for them in the library." - Dark Kat ordered and left off to the library. 

It was a medium-sized room. The floor was made of mahogany, as all the doors, floors and furniture of Farrell Manor. The walls elevated high above the purple crime overlord's head, each of them covered with dozens of books. In the middle of the room stood a desk with a lamp on top. In the ceiling, a big candelabrum made out of thousands of little pieces of crystal seemed to hover above Dark Kat's head, pouring down a golden warm light that filled the room.

"You, called, your highness?" - one of the ninjas asked. They had arrived in the meantime. Dark Kat passed by them without a word and headed for the big desk, sitting in the chair behind it. He swung the chair around and faced the book-covered wall. All the ninjas could see of the purple kat was his hood and his cape hanging off the chair's arms.

"The other SWAT Kat..." - he said - "...I want him found... and killed..."

"It shall be done as you wish, your highness." - one of them said and they all left the room immediately. Seconds later, another ninja entered the library.

"Milord, the draw is closed. The combats will commence."

A rush of light burned in Dark Kat's eyes - "Finally..." - the purple kat rose from the chair and went out of the room. He turned around and addressed the ninja when he reached the door. - "You... pick two of your colleagues and run along. Bring me these two kats."

Dark Kat tossed two photos towards the ninja. He grabbed the pictures and peered rapidly at them, after what he nodded to the huge kat.

"Consider it done, milord..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Chance had been down by the hangar the entire night. He had repaired the sandbag and now it was lying on the ground again, with the sand all spattered on the floor. He had been punching and kicking it the entire night and he still wasn't satisfied. His muscles hadn't recovered their full strength yet but he didn't care. He wanted more. He *needed* more! Dressed in his Enforcer training uniform he went upstairs and outside the body shop, towards the obstacle course, despite the fact that it was raining heavily now.

He started running, his boots making splashing thuds on the muddy ground. The first obstacle was a wall with a time and a half his height. He jumped and threw his right arm up, grabbing the edge of the thick wall, which was slippery due to the rain. Throwing his right leg up, he heaved his body up the wall and jumped down it in a single fluid motion, darting from it.

A few meters ahead he found a low tunnel made out of barbed wire. He ducked and threw himself through the tunnel, crawling underneath the fierce-looking thorns, which still managed to rip the fabric of his tank-top and his skin. As soon as his thighs were out of the tunnel he got up to his feet and resumed the running. Needless to say his clothes were a complete muddy mess by now. However, he didn't care and just carried on.

Ahead of him stood a rope with some knots that was tied up to the beginning of a few dozen meters of metallic catwalk, which seemed like an elevated railroad several meters above ground level. He climbed up the rope resorting only to bare arm strength. When he was at the top he threw his left arm to the catwalk and swung his body forward, throwing his right paw to grab the next bar. And so he continued until, a few tens of meters ahead, the catwalk abruptly ended.

Chance swung his body harder and performed a back somersault, landing hard on the ground and sprinkling mud high into the air. Immediately after it stood the tire track. The tires were separated from one another by a distance of about two meters. Stepping inside the first tire, he jumped to the next at his right and then to the next to his left and so on.

The cracking of thunder drew nearer now. The drizzling rain of early that morning had gave its place to heavy thunder showers. Chance jumped to the first of two giant piles of metallic litter and climbed it up. When he reached the top of it, he threw himself into the air, plunging directly into the pit filled with muddy water and ignoring completely the rope dangling in the wind. The coldness of the muddy fluid enveloped him and he swam upward. With a few strokes, he reached the margin and heaved his bulk, starting to run.

He located the long pole resting on the ground. Chance picked it up without stopping and ran towards the second pile of metallic garbage. Using the pole, he thrust himself over the top of the pile while a lightning ray crisscrossed the sky behind him, immersing the front of his body in darkness as he let go of the pole and somersaulted forward. He hit the ground running and darted to the finish line a dozen of meters ahead, breaking the ribbon.

However, he didn't stop. He ran towards the next pile of metallic litter and climbed it up. He stood on top of the hood of a car when he reached the top of the pile. There he stopped and scanned the city in front of him. His jaw was tightly clenched, as his fists were. Water was dripping down his fur and his clothes. Thick droplets dropped down his chin and nose as his enraged eyes scrutinized the dulled outline of the skyscrapers in the distance and his chest heaved up and down wildly.

"I'll find you, Dark Kat! Even if it kills me I will find you! And I'll bring Jake back home! THIS I SWEAR!" - he roared as a huge lightning bolt cracked behind him.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

"Ah! What a lousy weather!" - Callie said as she crossed the street, fighting against the wind that threatened to take off her umbrella at any moment. - "What a time for my car to leave me like this..."

She was so busy with the umbrella she didn't even notice the kat dressed in a long black overcoat in the other side of the street, knocking against him.

"Oof! I'm sorry!" - she apologized, looking up to the tom - "I'm sorry. I haven't seen you!"

"Deputy Mayor Briggs?" - the tom asked. She nodded. - "You must come with me!"

"What? Why?" - was all she had time to ask before another tom came from behind her and placed an handkerchief soaked in chloroform in her snout. She struggled for a few seconds in her captor's strong clutches feeling the sweet taste the cloroform left in her mouth, but was no match for him. She gave in to the chemical and slipped into dormancy.

A car's tires screeched until the vehicle came to a stop right in front of the three kats. The doors were opened and the toms bustled Callie's limp form inside the car, after what both toms entered inside the vehicle, which drove away from the spot.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Dark Kat entered the room where the try-outs were about to occur. Greenbox and a tough-looking thug were already on top of the far-off ring. The middle ring was occupied by two unknown kats. The closest ring had Turmoil and another unknown thug on top of it. The purple kat located Razor in the crowd and headed for him, patting the slim kat in the shoulder when he reached him.

"What did I miss?" - he queried. 

"Nothing, really. The combats will start now." - Razor informed. He frowned. How could he be having such a normal conversation with his sworn enemy?

"Who will you fight?" - Dark Kat asked, ignoring Razor's expression.

"Some guy I never heard about... His name's Karl. It's that brown-furred tom over there, near Mac.

Dark Kat looked to the kat Razor pointed to. It was a well-built tom, with prominent muscles in his arms. Dark Kat shook his head.

"He's no match for the SWAT Kat... With the training I provided him, he's able to eat thugs like that at breakfast..." - he thought.

Meanwhile, the three combats had begun. The shouts of encouragement from the crowd filled the room together with the sound of punches and kicks. At some time, a muffled moan of pain cut off the roar of the crowd. Greenbox was having a bad time with his opponent, Stevenson. The thug was a street fighter, both Dark Kat and Razor could see it clearly. His blows were barely legal but that was an illegal tournament that bore as primordial rule "there aren't any rules" so every blow was allowed. Stevenson rapidly defeated Greenbox. The other matches ended fast also.

Turmoil won her bout easily. Her opponent, named Dick, was so eager to combat he ran towards her as fast as he could. She cocked one eyebrow and placed her paws on her hips as she saw the big yellow tom running towards her. When the kat was about to strike her, she just stepped aside and Dick didn't have time to stop, falling out of the ring.

"Ludicrous tom..." - she mocked under her breath as she stepped calmly out of the ring - "This Tournament is going to be a piece of cake..."

Dark Kat couldn't help but slap himself on his forehead. Kats alive... Was that one of the new generation's thugs of this city? Please...

The next round opposed six unknown ruffians. Obviously, three of them won. Their names were Svern, Marisa and Troll. The third round came quickly. It was about 10 a.m. and six bouts had already been fought. In the middle ring stood Brett Frisk and Hard Drive. The combats had begun again. Razor was more interested in the fight of the techno-crook. His opponent was a slim gray-furred kat.

Brett moved fast, jumping from one side of the ring to the other. Even Razor had some difficulty in keeping an eye on his moves. Hard Drive, however, seemed completely unimpressed and undisturbed. Brett came closer to Hard Drive, preparing his blow. The tan-furred kat just smiled. Brett jumped towards Hard Drive, attempting a flying-kick. Hard Drive just extended his left arm and released an electric discharge that hit the gray-furred tom, sending him back and off the ring.

Razor widened his eyes and turned to Dark Kat. - "Can he do that?"

Dark Kat just shrugged - "Of course he can."

"Then we can use weapons in the Tournament?" - he asked in disbelief.

"Except for fire arms, yes, you can use whatever you want."

"Then, I can use my glovatrix?"

"Sure you can. But you can't fire explosives or missiles."

"Doesn't matter. Where is it?" - Razor queried, shaking his head.

"Destroyed, I'm afraid." - Dark Kat oozed, looking into the distance.

"I'm doomed." - Razor moaned, doing a face. Dark Kat couldn't help to chuckle for himself.

The other fights ended also and the forth round was rapidly organized. Razor jumped on top of the far-off ring. Karl jumped too a little bit later.

"This is it..." - Razor thought, tightening the grip on his own fists. 

Dark Kat was behind him, in the floor. Razor could feel his gaze burning in his back. The slim SWAT Kat tensed his muscles and assumed a fighting stand. Karl did the same, choosing the same position of Razor. Dark Kat just shook his head in disappointment.

"That tom doesn't even know how to fight... Look at his position... He's completely open! Even trying to imitate the SWAT Kat he can't do it right... I'm sure he can impose respect to people with his musculature but he's definitely no match for *any* of us..."

"_Hajime_!" - the judge bellowed.

Razor crouched a bit, flexing the muscles on his legs. His face bore a concentrated grimace. His brows were furrowed under his mask, his teeth clenched. Karl shuddered almost imperceptibly. A drop of perspiration poured from his forehead and down his cheek. Razor analyzed Karl. The other tom didn't move. Razor's heart was pounding hard on his chest. He could see the tom in front of him wasn't such a good fighter as he had thought before. Even so, doubts started crossing his mind.

"C'mon! Start the fight!" - one thug yelled.

"Yeah! We wanna see a combat, not a statue competition!" - another added.

Razor wasn't paying attention to them. What if he judged that kat wrong? What if Karl turns out to be an outstanding opponent? What if he loses control of himself? What if he ends up crippling that kat?

"Snap out of it, Jake..." - he thought to himself - "Snap out of it... You're here to win, remember? You're here to win at all cost! Even if that implies..."

Suddenly, he jumped into the air, covering the distance between him and Karl, screaming a high-pitched cry. Karl just widened his eyes and hid his face behind his arms, curling into a ball and screaming in fear.

Razor cocked one eyebrow and landed before the curled tom. He went to him.

"Yah?" - he said in a low tone while softly touching Karl in his shoulder with his paw. The tom screamed in fear and tossed himself off the ring. The entire crowd was frozen by the ridiculousness of the situation. Then, one by one, all started laughing. Razor just sighed and got off the ring, shaking his head.

"What did I say?" - Dark Kat thought to himself as he shook his head.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

After taking a warm shower and sleeping a couple of hours, Chance was feeling better. His muscles hadn't regained their full efficiency yet but all the workout he had obliged himself to do made him restless. The adrenaline levels in his body were still high and neither the workout, nor the shower nor the nap had sufficiently calmed him down. And, the fact he had just blown one precious chance to find out the whereabouts of Jake wasn't helping anything. He decided to go outside again, not as Chance Furlong but rather as T-Bone. Minutes later, after changing into his G-suit, T-Bone piloted the TurboKat. Thick droplets of water smashed against the glass of the canopy while the ones that dropped near the rear of the jet were instantly vaporized by the bluish backwash. Once again, the big SWAT Kat was out for the hunt.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Lunchtime had arrived and so did the end of the first round of try-outs. The original group of fighters had been reduced by thirty-two contestants now. Besides Turmoil, Hard Drive and Razor, also Rex Shard, Lenny Ringtail, Viper, Chop Shop, Molly, Mac and the PastMaster had managed to enroll in the next try-outs, along with another twenty-two unknown ruffians.

"Very well, everybody! We've made quite a few progresses! But now let us all rest for a couple of hours. The fights will resume after lunch, at two o'clock." - Dark Kat announced and the crowd started to disperse, following some of the purple kat's ninjas to the dining-hall. Razor meant to go with them when Viper bumped against him.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" - Razor said, stepping back from Viper. The reptilian scientist turned around and addressed Razor.

"What did you sssay? You sssaid you wanna fight?" - Viper hissed and took one step towards Razor. The other kats stopped in their tracks, sensing the impending confront. However, nothing came to happen. Dark Kat stepped in between the SWAT Kat and Viper.

"Touch one single fur of the SWAT Kat and you'll be disqualified immediately according to the rules. If you want to fight him, then win all your bouts because I have no doubt that he will be the winner of this Tournament." - Dark Kat boomed. Viper just gave a disgusted grin, turned tail and calmly walked out of the room. Razor started to walk towards the door when Dark Kat placed a paw over his shoulder. - "You're going back to your cell."

"Huh? Why?"

"Two reasons: first, you're still my prisoner. Second, it's safer for you." - Dark Kat simply responded and motioned Razor to the opposite door. Razor had no other alternative but to obey.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Back in the obscurity of his cell, Razor sat in lotus position on top of his cot. The rain was penetrating in his cell from the barred window again, forming a cascade that ran down the wall and turned the dirt into oozy mud. He found a tray with food on top of the mattress when he entered the cell.

"A plenty meal... Bread and water... Well, I guess I should thank I'm not starving here..." - he muttered as he tore a piece of bread. That thought stung his mind more than he would have expected.

"What would be Dark Kat's behavior if he didn't need me? He said he'd kill me... I wonder if he would torture me or something... Or if he would let me waste myself away of starvation... His mind is so sickly..." - he closed his eyes and the red burst of Doc's head returned as vividly as when he witnessed it... - "Doc... I mustn't forget I'm doing this for him... And for you, Chance..." - a tear dropped from his eye - "I wanna see you, buddy... I don't really wanna fight... I don't wanna be here... If you were here by my side this would be so much easier for me... I miss you so much, Chance... I miss you so much... I wish I were at home with you right now..." - he thought, drooping his ears and closing his eyes. He suddenly cocked his head. - "No. I gotta win! I *have* to win! I *have* to fight... I can't flag now... Yes, Jake, you *cannot* give ground to those thoughts now... You'll fight... and you'll win... For your freedom, for your family, for Chance..." - he narrowed his eyes, a raging fire burning behind them - "...and for Doc..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The fire burning in the fireplace cast long dancing shadows across the room as its orange luminosity borrowed a warm tinge of color to the depressively decorated salon. It was half past one p.m. but it could very well be midnight - the darkness was about the same. Heavy storm clouds rolled ruthlessly in the sky, clouds as black as the heart of the huge tom that contemplated them from behind the tall window that ran up from the floor almost to the ceiling. The sudden flashes of lightning illuminated briefly a visage that very few wouldn't fear. Not a snout or even a nose were features observable in this face. A skeletal visage even more deformed by his mouth - fleshless lips or bony edges, who would really care. Perhaps his most frightful features were his pupil-less orange eyes, eyes that burned with a fire of their own, eyes that penetrated into any kat's soul, tormenting it forever and ever more. However, an even more ghastly feature of this tom was something that no kat could see.

His soul.

A grievous soul. A soul that had already witnessed much more than any kat should.

This kat had a name, a normal life. Now all he has is a burden. A burden of vengeance. Vengeance against Justice. Vengeance against Law and Order.

Vengeance against katkind...

This kat still has a name. A name capable of inflicting terror in the most stonehearted kat.

This kat has a name...

Dark Kat is his name...

The purple kat walked away from the window and headed for the mirror hanging above a small table, on the wall. He looked at his reflection on the mirror, narrowing his eyes until they were nothing but thin slits, growling softly as he did it. A flash of lightning flickered, illuminating the room and immersing his face in darkness. He drew his right fist back and rammed it against the mirror, giving out a loud roar. Both the sounds of the shattering mirror and Dark Kat's growl mingled with the roar of thunder, which cracked awfully close. He retrieved his fist and looked at the black fluid oozing down from the cuts, some of them quite deep, the shards of glass had inflicted.

"Milord... Is everything okay?" - a ninja who had entered inside the room and witnessed Dark Kat's burst of wrath asked.

Dark Kat looked to the tom with a gaze capable of clotting anyone's blood. The ninja couldn't help but gulp when his boss's eyes met his own. The purple kat turned away and went to the fireplace. His back was turned to the ninja.

"What do you want?" - Dark Kat asked.

"I'm just here to tell your Excellency we've captured one of the she-kats."

Dark Kat straightened his torso. - "Why haven't you captured both already?"

"The other she-kat is hard to get. She's all day in the place you know..."

"Enforcer Headquarters..." - he said together with a low growl. - "What about the other SWAT Kat?"

"He hasn't shown his snout today yet. So reports the team charged to finish him off." - the ninja simply answered.

"Leave." - Dark Kat ordered in a calm tone, leaning against the fireplace, his back still turned to the ninja. The ninja complied and left the room.

Dark Kat surveyed the flames cracking in the fireplace, lost in his thoughts. Thoughts about the past. His past. He thought about the Enforcers, about his Commander. He narrowed his eyes.

"One day... One day I shall have my vendetta..." - he muttered. He went to the small table again and picked up the phone, dialing a number. After a few moments someone answered from the other side.

"I've got another job for you." - Dark Kat oozed.

"Do I get paid extra?"

"Surely."

"Don't call me Shirley, will you?"

"*Stupid fop*! I meant you *will* get paid for this too." - Dark Kat bawled, annoyed.

"Oh. What do I have to do?"

"Very simple, indeed..."

The phone call lasted only another minute. Dark Kat placed the receiver back onto the hook. He looked outside, to the stormy afternoon.

"You'll get paid, alright... Double... Imbecilic infatuated scum bag... You make me sick... You and all of your kind... You're just the kind of kats I will get rid of first..." - he mumbled. Someone knocked on the door. - "WHAT?"

"The combats will resume, milord." - a voice said from outside.

"I'm coming." - Dark Kat said in a calm tone as he headed for the door. A few moments later, he was down by the catacombs, freeing Razor from his cell and guiding him upstairs again, to the arenas.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The room was filling up with kats again when Dark Kat and Razor entered. The first fighters to spar were already on top of the rings. On the first ring were Stevenson and Kyle, a patchy white and black kat. The middle ring had atop Turmoil and Svern. Finally, on the third ring stood Marisa and Troll.

The room was filled with kats when the bouts begun. Stevenson and Troll won their respective combats, Troll having a bit of difficulty beating Marisa, who turned out to be as deadly as she was beautiful.

Turmoil had a bit more of work with Svern than she had had with her previous opponent. Svern was an impressively built tom, with a plain garment of golden fur. Only his left eye bore a ring of brown fur around.

"I hope this combat turns out to be more satisfying than my previous one." - she taunted as she fell into a fighting stand. Svern did the same. He had a strong accent, like hers.

"Don't worry. I won't make the same mistake." - he stated.

"_Hajime_!"

Both kats hurled towards each other. Turmoil pointed her left elbow to Svern's sternum. However, before she even had the chance to hit the tom, Svern somersaulted above her head and landed behind her. Turning around quickly, he kicked her in the back, throwing her to the ground.

"Had enough? I don't like to beat in she-kats, you know? Just give up and everything's gonna be okay." - Svern said.

Turmoil got to her feet and looked to Svern with a grin in her snout.

"Give up? My dear tom, I'm just getting started!"

"Suit yourself." - Svern said and hurtled towards her again.

She grinned. She had him exactly where she wanted. Svern threw a punch to her snout but she dodged it, lunging forward and standing up on her paws. She wrapped her feet and legs around Svern's neck and contracted her abdominal muscles, lowering her legs. The jolt was so big Svern's cervical vertebrae popped and nearly became loose. The tom's bulk hurtled towards the ground and he landed head over feet on the ring, passing out immediately.

Turmoil picked up her Commander's cap and looked to the fallen tom before stepping out of the ring.

Razor was dumbfounded. - "Wow... She's one heck of a fighter! I'm glad we never came to fight her when she attempted to take over the city."

"You're next, SWAT Kat." - Dark Kat informed, placing his injured paw on top of Razor's shoulder. He noticed it and meant to ask what was that when he suddenly remembered the purple kat was his sworn enemy. Razor jumped on top of the middle ring. He would fight against Ostend, a persian kat with long white fur and a flattened face. Hard Drive stood on top of the far-off ring, where he would meet Tucker. In the closest ring stood two unknown ruffians, Bob and Wildkat.

The bouts begun once more. Hard Drive didn't want to have much trouble fighting, it seemed. He fried once more his adversary, sending him off the ring. Wildkat won over Bob with relative ease. Razor had also another easy victory, despite the fact that this time he really had to fight. However, the combat didn't last much since Razor flattened Ostend's face even more with a kick, throwing him off the ring.

Razor got out of the ring and Dark Kat greeted him with a slap in the back that nearly drew all the air from Razor's lungs. One thing was for sure: Razor was satisfied not to have to fight Dark Kat. The purple tom seemed a mountain of sheer muscle!

The third round had begun in the meantime. Rex Shard and Lenny Ringtail occupied the far-off and middle rings, respectively while two unknown thugs fought over the third ring. Shard and Ringtail won their respective bouts, both applying barely legal blows.

Next in line were Viper, Chop Shop and four unknown punks. Viper stood on the first ring, Chop Shop on the second. Viper won is bouts with extreme ease! His opponents were no match for his tail! Chop Shop won his bout also, although recurring to some acute chopping arguments that rendered his opponent helpless.

The fifth round of the second try-outs had Mac Mange on the first ring, Molly Mange on the second and the PastMaster on the third. Needless to say Mac and Molly won their combats easily. Their titanium bodies sees to that. As for the PastMaster, well, nothing can withstand the magic of his watch, anyway... The sixth round only opposed two unknown thugs. 

It was about half past four when the try-outs were over. From the original set of sixty-four kats only sixteen enrolled in the third try-outs. Their names: Stevenson, Turmoil, Troll, Hard Drive, Razor, Wildkat, Rex Shard, Lenny Ringtail, Cougaramond, Viper, Chop Shop, Nick, Mac Mange, Molly Mange, the PastMaster and Clawster.

Dark Kat peered rapidly at the board behind the rings. He saw there could be some interesting fights. Shard would fight Ringtail. He looked further to his right and widened his eyes, a grin appearing on his face. Razor noticed it. Dark Kat snorted in amusement.

"What's so funny?" - Razor asked.

"The Metallikats... They'll face each other... *Now* we'll see who wears the trousers at home, if Mac or Molly..."

"Well... That's another load off my mind..." - Razor thought - At least I won't have to fight both of them..."

The SWAT Kat scanned the room. He saw Viper further to his right, also looking to the board. He saw the reptilian kat grin and felt a shiver running up his spine when the good doctor looked directly to him, zipping a clawed finger across his scaled throat. Razor gulped. If he and Viper ever came to fight, it would surely be a tough match. The slim SWAT Kat turned his head to the other side, trying to see his next opponent, Wildkat. However, he didn't find the kat.

After a fifteen minutes break, the combats resumed. One of the rings had, in the meantime, been removed, so there were only two rings in the room now. Turmoil and Stevenson occupied the far-off ring whilst Hard Drive and Troll jumped onto the closest one. The judges screamed _Hajime_ and the combats begun.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Outlined by the flashes of lightning against the nearly blackened skies, the frame of the TurboKat mingled with the clouds and the gusts of rain and wind. In its interior stood its pilot, T-Bone. His face was contorted into a determined grimace as he looked forward, beyond the glass of the canopy and stared into the dark cloak of clouds in front of him. 

The storm had his full attention now. He shouldn't be out here he knew that. He was tempting fate every time a gust of wind balanced the jet or a lightning bolt crossed he clouds around him. He knew bad wind shears and lightning storms were the nightmare of every pilot.

Still, he was calm. As usual, flying around in the TurboKat managed to calm the tabby down. He had devised a plan while he flew around the city, looking for any criminals. In finding none, he decided to keep his mind busy thinking. As one half of him was piloting the fighter, the other thought of an easy way to get to know the Tournament's location. He groped his pocket and retrieved a small plastic box from inside, opening it.

"Why didn't I thought of this in the first place? Now all I have to do is find one of Dark Crud's ninjas..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Turmoil was having difficulty in beating Stevenson. The tom was actually getting the upper paw.

"Here!" - he said, pointing to his right elbow.

Turmoil looked at it and the next second she had a painful close-up of Stevenson's elbow. The tom had struck her right between the eyes, bringing her to the ground. If he had hit a bit lower, her nose would've been broken. She lay on the ground, in all fours. Stevenson ran to her and kicked her hard in her stomach, making the she-kat roll over.

"Had enough?" - Stevenson taunted. Turmoil got up to her feet and wiped the dust off her cloak, grinning to him.

"Finally, some fun..." - she said. She took off her cap, which miraculously was still on her head. Her brown hair flew off in the air, settling down on both sides of her face, framing her visage. Her gloves followed, falling on the ring. She undid the clip that hung her cape in place and with a swirl, took it off, tossing it towards Stevenson.

The cloak impeded his vision of her and he rapidly grabbed it in the air and swept it away. He couldn't know that right behind the cloak was his opponent. Stevenson was caught completely off guard. Turmoil delivered a huge kick to the tom's face. Still in the air, she spun her body and punched his face again, throwing the tom to the floor.

Turmoil landed and jumped in the air once more. Stevenson rolled over and stood with his back on the ground. His eyes were still unfocused. He just saw the lights shining above him. Seconds later, a slick dark form came into his field of view, followed by a knifing pain in his gut which obliged him to gasp a warm fluid from his mouth. Stevenson doubled over on the ground with his paws gripping his stomach. He opened one eye and just saw one of Turmoil's feet rushing to hit him in the face. The next thing Stevenson saw was total darkness.

Turmoil had won by knockout. She picked up her belongings, slipping the gloves, swinging the cape on and finally placing her cap on top of her head. She looked to the unconscious tom as she stepped out of the ring. - "Not even a worthy opponent..." - she thought, jumping off the ring.

On the other ring, Hard Drive had a bit more of trouble defeating his adversary as well. Troll was an orange-furred short kat but could move quite fast. Hard Drive wasn't about to lose his coolness with such a kat. He decided he would just fry him like he did with the others. So Hard Drive shot an electric bolt towards Troll, hitting him square in his chest. Hard Drive closed his eyes while he yawned, basking in the glow of another victory. What he wasn't prepared to face was the pain that suddenly spread across his face. Troll had taken his shot and had punched him in the face. Hard Drive groped his warm cheek and widened his eyes in disbelief.

"What? I hit you! I know I did!" - and he decided to shoot another bolt. And the bolt hit his opponent. And his opponent just kept coming as though nothing had hit him. - "How's that possible?" - Was everything Hard Drive could vocalize before Troll punched him in his gut.

Hard Drive doubled over himself and rolled over, getting away from the short tom. He got up to his feet and inspected Troll. The other tom had a plastic necklace with a few wires around it. Troll lunged towards Hard Drive again, but the tan-furred kat somersaulted over the short tom. Hard Drive looked back and saw an insulated wire running down the necklace and into Troll's shirt. He looked to the boots he was wearing. Under the plastic sole stood a thin metallic plate. Realization dawned on Hard Drive. Troll was nothing more than a walking-talking lightning rod.

"Your electricity won't work on me, you infatuated fool. Get ready to get some bruises!" - Troll defied as he walked confidently towards Hard Drive. If Troll thought Hard Drive would be scared of his little gizmo, he couldn't be more mistaken. The techno-crook furrowed his brows and ran towards Troll, catching the short kat by surprise.

"You stupid half-brain schizoid!" - Hard Drive shouted as he ran - "You think I'd be that stupid? You think my electricity is my only weapon?"

Hard Drive jumped and placed a foot over Troll's chest, which acted as a support. The tan-furred kat heaved his body so that his feet stood at Troll's face height and kicked it with all his might. Troll was knocked off his feet and rolled on the ring. The short tom came quickly to his feet but Hard Drive was already running to him. Troll drew his right fist back and threw it against Hard Drive's face. However, Hard Drive ducked and Troll only punched the air. Hard Drive, however, delivered a huge blow to Troll's left knee while he ducked. Troll screamed as the techno-crook broke his kneecap, kneeling on the floor of the ring. Hard Drive got up to his feet and shook his right paw, which was throbbing with pain. He headed for the short tom and delivered a huge roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him out cold.

"Damn! My paw..." - Hard Drive cursed under his breath as he got off the ring.

Razor was impressed with both villains. They could really fight well, he had to admit it. He once more fel a huge paw patting his back. He turned to Dark Kat.

"It's your turn again." - the huge purple tom said. Razor nodded and jumped on top of the far-off ring. In the other ring stood Shard and Ringtail. Wildkat joined Razor on the first ring.

Razor had the chance to analyze the tom in front of him for a while before the judges told them to begin the fight. Wildkat was an impressive tom, powerfully built. He was wearing a white _gi_ and respectfully leaned to Razor before the start of the combat, saluting the SWAT Kat. Razor did the same. Wildkat straightened up and Razor could see the other tom's face for the first time. What he saw made him gasp. He was looking to Chance's face! Wildkat seemed exactly as Chance with the only exception that he had gray fur instead.

"I wonder if he's a tabby too? Crud, it seems I'm looking to Chance on a black and white screen! He's the spitting image of him!"

The judges ordered the beginning of the combat. Wildkat assumed a fighting stance. So did Razor. The SWAT Kat was astonished with his adversary's similarities with Chance. He never ceased analyzing the burlier tom. Wildkat struck first, running to Razor. Razor snapped out of his trance just in time to block Wildkat's punch. The gray-furred tom threw his knee up and rammed it against Razor's gut, which was followed by a series of punches to the SWAT Kat's head. Wildkat finished the series punching Razor's chest with the lower part of his paw. Razor staggered back on the ring and readily assumed a fighting stance.

"He's faster than Chance..." - his head was throbbing with pain - "And as strong as Chance... But he knows what he's doing... His blows hit me all in the right places and he didn't have to cheat to do that. I'm impressed."

"C'mon, SWAT Kat! Are you gonna stay there all afternoon?" - Wildkat said as he fell into a fighting stand also.

"His voice is different from Chance's. Colder. Deeper." - Razor thought - "He's *not* Chance! Now that I see it, his face is also a bit different. His canines are showing a lot. Chance's never showed that much. And he has some tiny tufts of fur in the tip of his hears. Chance doesn't have them. He's *not* Chance!"

And, with this thought, Razor jumped into the air, covering rapidly the scant meters that separated him from the gray-furred tom. Wildkat successfully blocked the first punch but Razor was too fast for him and the slim kat delivered a series of punches and kicks to Wildkat's head and gut. To top it off, he made a jumping roundhouse kick that brought the burly tom to the ground.

Wildkat promptly stood up to his feet. He smiled. - "You're good, SWAT Kat. Real good."

"Thanks. I had a lot of training." - Razor responded. Wildkat took off the upper part of his _gi_ and tossed it off the ring, revealing a muscular torso. - "Again, like Chance's..." - Razor thought as he saw the powerful muscles flexing - "Heh, and he's a tabby too... Guy, wouldn't Chance be surprised to find someone like himself..."

"Let's get to some serious stuff, shall we?" - the gray tabby said, assuming a fighting stand known as _Neko-ashi_, raising slightly his left foot and extending his left arm in front of his body while the right paw remained at his chest height.

"'Kat' position, huh?" - Razor thought as he fell into another stance, rotating his body so that he looked askew to Wildkat. His left arm was down while the right paw was raised at his shoulder height and stood in front of his chest. His left leg was also a bit raised.

"Huh? What's he doing?" - Wildkat thought - "Ahh! _Garku-kamae_ stance! The 'leaning dragon'! Well chosen, SWAT Kat. But not good enough!

Wildkat disappeared and a second later reappeared behind Razor, throwing a punch to Razor's head. Razor however had also disappeared and positioned himself behind Wildkat, smashing his both paws against both sides of Wildkat's face. The tabby turned around but Razor wasn't there anymore. Wildkat somersaulted back just before Razor had thrown a kick to his back. Razor turned around and received a huge roundhouse kick on his head, sending him rolling on the floor. He quickly got up to his feet and scanned the ring. He couldn't see Wildkat anywhere. He looked up and saw Wildkat's gray foot rushing to hit him on the head once more. Razor stood on all fours, wiping the blood off his snout. He never knew if he saw it coming or simply felt it but Razor jumped out of the way of Wildkat's knee, which rammed on the floor and opened a hole on the ring. Wildkat got up to his feet and looked around, trying to find Razor. He didn't see him. The tabby looked up but Razor wasn't there too. He turned around, trying to see Razor but the slim kat wasn't at sight.

"Where are you?" - he bellowed - "Where are you hiding?"

"Right in front of you." - Razor said in an ice-cold voice and struck Wildkat with a powerful uppercut to his midriff, making the tabby double over, grabbing his gut and gasping a gob of red saliva. Wildkat knelt on the floor with his mouth wide open, trying to regain his breath, falling to the side.

"Don't try to move. The blow I gave you rendered you paralyzed. It'll pass in a few minutes but you won't be able to move until then.

"W-who tau-taught you t-that?" - the gray-furred tom stuttered - "Did... did Doc... taught you... that?"

Razor was surprised when he heard Wildkat talking about Doc. He knelt by his side.

"You knew Doc?"

"Doc is my master. I don't know his name and I just called him that way. I know he is a doctor for he took care of me... Did Doc taught you that move?" - he insisted.

"Yes, he did..." - Razor answered. Meanwhile, the judge had started to count.

"It just had to be Doc... Where is he? I want to see him..." - Wildkat asked. Razor winced.

"... three..."

"He's... He's dead..."

Shock filled Wildkat's face for a second, being rapidly replaced by grief.

"... five..."

"Who..." - Wildkat asked.

"It doesn't matter now..."

"... seven..."

"*Who*?" - the tabby asked. Razor remained silent.

"... nine..."

"WHO?" - Wildkat bellowed in a despaired voice, tears dropping from his eyes.

"... ten!"

"Dark Kat..." - Razor hissed under his breath.

"Razor is the winner." - the judge announced.

Razor picked Wildkat's bulk from the floor and jumped out of the ring. He poised the tabby on the wooden floor, looking down on him. Wildkat had his eyes closed and tears soaked his facial fur as he silently cried the loss of his master.

Dark Kat stepped in and addressed Razor. - "Why are you wasting your time with that loser? Come on, the other fights will begin in a few minutes. You must study your possible adversaries."

"Give me just a few minutes with him, okay?" - Razor asked. Dark Kat nodded after thinking for a few seconds and left.

"You're another one of his kats... I thought you were a good guy!" - Wildkat asked with a disgusted tinge in his voice.

"I'm *not* one of Dark Crud's kats! It's just that, for now, Dark Crud's got all the aces in his paws, you understand?"

"How'd you got caught in all this, anyway?"

"It's a long story. I have to go. You should be recovering your motility any second now. Before I go, promise me one thing. Promise me you won't get even at Dark Kat. At least while your skills haven't improved!"

"I can't promise that, SWAT Kat. You know I can't! You don't know what Doc was like for me. He was like the father I never had!"

"Promise me, please! You're a good fighter and you have a good soul. But you're no match for Dark Kat now!" - Razor closed his eyes - "Not even me can take him down... He's much stronger than I am..."

Wildkat shut his eyes for a moment, shuddering in rage. - "Okay... I promise... But I promise you another thing... I'll practice my tail out just to get at Dark Kat... And at you... I would be honored if we fought again some other time."

Razor blinked an eye to Wildkat - "I'm sure we'll fight again some time... I gotta go..."

"Good luck, SWAT Kat! May the best kat win!"

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

In the meantime, while Razor and Wildkat sparred, another fight went on just a few feet away, a fight between Shard and Ringtail. Both toms were equally strong and vicious although nothing special really happened. Except for one moment. Shard managed to make Ringtail lose his stand and lifted him up in the air, throwing him out of the ring.

"You were good, kid, but ol' Rex Shard's better!" - the gray-furred tom said as he headed out of the ring. He was preparing to jump out when he heard Ringtail's laughing.

"Just one minute, oldie... If the judge cares to check my position, I think he would find that the combat's not quite over yet."

And so it was. Ringtail wasn't, in fact, out of the ring but rather tightly pinned to *the side* of it, thanks to his claws. Shard couldn't believe his eyes.

"He's even crazier than I thought!" - Shard thought to himself as he watched Ringtail straining to get back onto the ring - "Not only he doesn't fight as Mad Kat but rather as Ringtail, he even does this, grabbing himself to the side of the ring like a fly! Well... If he wants to do an animal pantomime pretending to be a fly, that's all right! He'll be crushed like one!"

Shard ran to Ringtail, who was still trying to get onto the ring. Ringtail looked up with a surprised look on his face to the gray-furred kat rushing towards him.

"If you're still game, then I have no reason to wait for you to get up again! Either way, I'm gonna win!" - Shard stated before kicking Ringtail's head with all his might. The brown-furred kat turned his head to the other side with the blow, spurting some blood and fell on the floor, passing out. And that's how Rex Shard won his bout.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Razor left Wildkat and headed for Dark Kat, whose expression denoted his dissatisfaction.

"What did I miss?" - Razor queried.

"Everything." - Dark Kat rumbled, growling.

Razor looked to the ring in front of him and widened his eyes. He saw a light orange-furred kat lying on a pool of his own blood. - "W-what happened?"

"His name's Cougaramond and he's dead. That's all you need to know." - Dark Kat coldly answered.

Razor looked to the ring again. Only then did he see Viper. He looked to the green kat's claws. They were reddish and blood dripped from them. Razor figured that, apparently, Viper have decided to change his strategy and ripped the other tom's throat.

In the ring beside that another drama occurred. Chop Shop was fighting an albino kat named Nick. The spotted tan-furred kat lunged at Nick, throwing him a punch, which the albino blocked perfectly. Nick managed to hit a few punches on Chop Shop before the laughing hyena threw a dagger that riveted on Nick's leg. The albino let out a scream of pain and knelt on the floor, taking the dagger off his leg. A gush of blood sullied the ring. Nick unstably got up to his feet only to receive a huge blow by Chop Shop's right leg in his right arm, right above the epiphysis of his humerus, breaking it.

Both Nick and Chop Shop heard the distinct crack, as well as the entire crowd. A maniacal smile appeared on Chop Shop's snout when he heard that sound. Nick's eyes widened when he heard the crack and then his forearm went limp. Chop Shop stepped back and Nick looked down to his arm in disbelief. The albino turned around and staggered a few steps towards the border of the ring, kneeling down on the ground. He arched back his head and screamed a heart-rending scream of pain while he grabbed his arms.

"SHUT UP!" - were the last words Nick ever heard from his opponent. A second later, his head was twisted at an impossible angle and another crack echoed along the walls. Nick's body fell lifeless on the ring.

Razor had his mouth open in shock. He had witnessed such violence only once, during Doc's trial. Dark Kat stood by his side.

"I never expected there were so few deaths this year..." - he mumbled. Razor snapped his head at the purple kat.

"What? You mean there has been more deaths in the previous editions of the Tournament?" - Razor queried, astonished.

"Lots more..." - he simply responded. - "Hah! The following bout should be fun..."

Next in line to fight were the Metallikats, the PastMaster and Clawster. Mac and Molly stood on the first ring while the skeletal sorcerer and the brown furred slim kat stood on top of the second. These were the last bouts of the third try-outs.

"Hah! You shouldn't have left your graveyard, grandpa..." - was all Clawster had time to say before a purple beam reduced him to a pile of smoldering ashes.

"It just happens that this 'grandpa' is good enough to teach you a good life lesson, young tom... Too bad you didn't live enough to learn it well..." - the hooded sorcerer commented before leaving the ring.

On the other ring, in the meantime, a fight was on. But not quite the kind of fight one would expect on a fighting tournament...

"What're ya doin' here? Didn't we agree that you'd give up?" - Mac asked her wife.

"I lied! Sue me! Now *you* get the heck outta here." - Molly retorted, placing her paws on her waist.

"Ya never let me do what I want!" - Mac complained.

"What? *I* never let you? What about you? Do ya ever let *me* do anything I want?" - Molly asked back. Mac just grumbled and went out of the ring.

"Molly Mange is the winner by desistance of her opponent." - the judge said. Mac just grumbled some more.

The third try-outs were over. Only eight kats remained now for the quarterfinals: Turmoil would fight Hard Drive, Razor would fight Rex Shard, Viper would fight Chop Shop and Molly would fight the PastMaster. It was already half past six p.m.

"Very well. You've all fought very well, dear contestants." - Dark Kat bellowed - "You have been very patient, ladies and gentletoms. The try-outs are officially over. The real matches will start now. Let's make a pause for dinner. The bouts will resume at eight o'clock downstairs. My servants will gladly guide you all to there."

The kats remaining followed Dark Kat's ninjas to the dining-hall once more. Razor turned to Dark Kat.

"I guess I have to return to my cell, huh?" - Razor asked.

"You're a mind reader, SWAT Kat..." - Dark Kat said before chuckling slightly. And so, once more, Razor was confined to the gloom of his prison.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Felina left Enforcer Headquarters at seven p.m. A cold gust of wind greeted her when she transposed the door to the street in front of HQ. She pushed her overcoat closer to her snout and crossed the street in a hastened step. She walked around the block and entered in the building where her quarters were.

"Damn weather..." - she cursed under her breath as she took off her coat and shook off the water. She went upstairs, stroking her water-matted hair. She opened the door to her quarters and tossed the overcoat to the hanger before turning on the lights. Her clothes were tossed to the air and fell on top of her bed. 

After a ten minutes shower, she came out of the bathroom enveloped in a gray towel and with another on top of her head. She dried her fur and hair and put some regular clothes after what she sank in her bed. She stared at the ceiling. The flashes of lightning flickered in the dark night sky and momentarily filled her quarters with blue, yellow and red shades. The rain drummed against the windows. Her mind was still lost on what she should do with her recently gained knowledge.

"T-Bone is Chance, Chance is T-Bone, Razor is Jake and Jake is Razor..." - she thought - "The two pilots my uncle dismissed from the force are the SWAT Kats, one of his worst headaches... Talk about poetic justice..."

She stared out the window, to the stormy night. A few seconds later she decided to get up and walked to the opening in the wall. Placing her left paw on her hip and with the right one resting on the frame of the window, high above her head, she scanned the pitch-dark sky. A lightning crisscrossed the sky in front of her and hit the lightning rod of a skyscraper in the distance. The roar of thunder echoed over the city, causing the glass on the window to shudder ever so slightly when the sonic boom connected with it.

"They're outlaws... Performing justice with one's paws is a crime punished by law... They're against everything I believe and stand for... My duty is to arrest them..." - another lightning flickered in the sky, immersing her quarter in an electric bluish color - "But is it the right thing to do? Should I arrest them? Yes, they perform justice with their own paws but they never killed anyone... Nevertheless, it's illegal... If I were in their place what would I do?" - she looked down, to the alley. Another lightning flashed and she could swear she just saw a black-dressed figure bolting near the opposing wall. - "What the..."

She decided to wait for another spark. She didn't have to wait long. In the flash of a series of lightning bolts, she found the alley completely deserted. - "I must be seeing things..."

Suddenly, she heard the doorknob moving. The lock was being forced. She went for her blaster, retrieving it from its holster and regulating it to stun. She rested her back against the wall adjacent to the door, rising her weapon so that it was resting at her face's height.

The door was finally unlocked and started opening slowly. The light in the hall was out so her quarters were still immersed in darkness. She begged to the clouds to hold back their electric discharges. A paw pushed the door ever so slowly. Seconds later, she saw a kat entering. The kat's intentions were deliberate, moving forward slowly. Her movements, however, were fast like a bolt. She rested the muzzle of her blaster in the kat's right temple.

"Freeze." - she hissed - "Turn around... Slowly... Put your paws where I can see them..." - she ordered in an ice-cold voice. The kat did has she ordered, keeping the paws at chest height and the palms turned to her. A lightning flashed and she widened her eyes when she saw the kat's face half bathed in electric blue. - "Steele?"

"Lieutenant-Commander Steele for you, Lieutenant." - Steele corrected her.

"What are you doing here, Steele?" - Felina asked, still aiming her blaster at his head. Steele slowly pushed the muzzle of the blaster to the side with his finger.

"Ah, can we talk about this, Lieutenant?" - he asked. Just as soon as his finger left the muzzle, Felina trained it on him again, as though there was a spring on her arm. - "Why don't we turn on the lights so we can discuss this, Felina?"

"You still haven't answered my question." - she said.

"Let's just turn on the lights, shall we?" - Steele insisted.

"You're trying my patience, Steele. You have a choice: either you choose to tell me right now what you were doing sneaking inside my quarters or you choose to tell it in front of my uncle. It's your call."

Steele gulped. He looked around in the darkened room, trying to locate the light switch. He just had to turn on the lights. Then he could go anywhere. The lightning flashed and then he saw it. It was in the wall right behind Felina. He gulped once more.

"I'm waiting, Steele." - Felina said. Steele started to walk away from Felina. - "Stay where you are."

"C'mon, Lieutenant. What are you trying to say? That you'll shoot me? That you'll shoot a superior?" - Steele said as he headed for the window.

"If I have to. You freaked me out, you know? Why were you sneaking inside my quarters, Steele?" - Felina responded, aiming her blaster to his back and taking a few steps after him. Steele turned around.

"Shoot me. I would like to hear what your uncle would have to say for you shooting a superior. Even he would see that you would have to be court-martialed, Lieutenant." - Steele retorted, heading for her.

"Stay where you are." - she ordered but he kept coming.

"You know, Felina... It could be dangerous for a lonely and helpless she-kat like you to be in a darkened room all by yourself. Nasty things could happen... Now, if you just let me turn on the lights, I'm certain you'll..."

"Why do you want to turn on the lights? I like it that way! Why that compulsion for light right now? What are you trying to pull, Steele?" - she asked, suspicious.

"Those are to many questions, Felina..." - he said and lunged to her, trying to get her blaster. She easily overpowered him and threw the orange-furred kat against the wall adjacent to the door.

"That was stupid, Steele! On your feet! I'm taking you to see my uncle right now!" - she ordered as she reached for the cuffs on her commode.

Steele smiled. She did exactly what he wanted her to do. He got up to his feet and reached for the switch, turning on the lights.

"You piece of crud!" - Felina hissed. In a split second decision, she aimed her blaster against the lamp and shot, destroying it and immersing the room in darkness once more. She quickly trained the blaster on Steele again. - "I don't now what you're trying to pull, Steele, but it's over as of now."

The lightning flashed again and Steele looked out the window and smiled. Outlined in the flash of blue light, outside the window, stood a black kat-like form.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

T-Bone had, in the meantime, returned to the hangar to refuel. Flying around the entire day had its cost. Their fuel reserves were alarmingly low now and without fuel not even the SWAT Kats would worth much. He decided to economize the precious liquid and just filled the TurboKat's tanks to half their full capacity. He jumped onto his place and gunned the engines, once more defying the raging winds and the thunder.

He was flying over a residential district when his radio crackled. It was tuned into the emergency band. He picked up an Enforcer dispatch stating that First National Bank had just been robbed. T-Bone didn't wait for more and banked the jet to the left, setting course to that area.

T-Bone reached the district in less than a minute and landed the TurboKat on the rooftop of an apartment building. He got out of the fighter and headed for the edge of the rooftop, peering down at the portico of the bank. It had been blown up. The Enforcers weren't anywhere at sight yet. However, in a flash of lightning, he saw three black-dressed kats leaving the crime scene.

"Dark Kat's ninjas! I can't believe I'm that lucky!" - he hissed and headed for the fire escape, running down it as fast as the wet steps allowed him. He was still half way down when he saw the ninjas had entered in the alley next to the apartment building. He fired his grappling hook to the banister and jumped off of the fire escape, reeling himself down silently. He had examined the alley and knew it was a dead end. - "I can't believe they're so stupid as to run into a dead end with all the loot..."

He landed silently behind the ninjas, who had, in the meantime, stopped running, and cut off the cable. He stepped after the ninjas. - "Well, well... Look who's here tonight... Don't you think it's a rather wet night for robbing a bank, lads?" - T-Bone taunted.

"Don't you think it's a rather wet night to get kicked in the tail, SWAT Kat?" - one of the ninjas said as the three slowly turned around. T-Bone blinked. The ninjas had dropped the loot and were focusing entirely on him.

"What the hell, what the hell, what the hell... Something's wrong... I feel like I've been led..." - T-Bone thought as the three ninjas circled him.

"Time to die, SWAT Kat! With the compliments of our master, Dark Kat!" - one of the ninjas said as he jumped forward and kicked T-Bone in his head, sending him back. T-Bone landed hard with his back on the wet floor. Another ninja grabbed the collar of his G-suit and lifted him up, banging his back against the nearest wall and ramming his knee on T-Bone's gut, making him double over ever so slightly. Another ninja made a reverse kick to T-Bone's gut, crushing the tabby against the wall. T-Bone staggered a few steps forward and a ninja appeared behind him, snatching his arms back and leaving his body completely exposed. A ninja delivered a series of punches to the tabby's chest, nearly breaking his sternum.

"I think you've played long enough, lads..." - T-Bone said. His chest hurt with every word he spoke. He had been trying to contain himself so that his plan would work. But he saw now that these ninjas were here specifically to kill him. The rage of earlier this day returned, overwhelming the big tabby. With a roar he broke apart from his captors' clutches and threw his paws over his shoulders and behind his back, grabbing the ninja's head. He pulled the kat over him, throwing the ninja against his comrades, knocking them both.

"Okay. Who's next in line, lads?" - T-Bone questioned but never waited for them to answer. Like a raging tornado in the middle of an orchard, the avenging SWAT Kat made his way through the ninjas, delivering punches and kicks at his will. He applied a powerful arm lock on one while he kicked another in his gut, after what he threw the ninja he was holding against the other, knocking them both to the ground. Spinning on his heel, he delivered a huge blow to the head of the other, who was sent flying back. The blow took off his mask and a fountain of blood could be seen leaving the ninja's nostrills.

The other two ninjas unstably got up to their feet. T-Bone took two steps on their direction and landed a punch on each ninja's head, making them pass out. He turned around to the third ninja, who was leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath. T-Bone looked at the ninja askew, his eyes nearly glowing in rage. The rain was pouring down harder now. Both kats were soaked wet. Even so, T-Bone could distinctly see the thread of blood running down the ninja's snout and mixing with the rainwater. A lightning flashed momentarily and the ninja attacked, running towards the big tabby with his right arm drawn back. He meant to punch the tabby but T-Bone caught his incoming fist and twisted the ninja's arm behind his back, clenching him against the wall. The ninja let out a muffled moan of pain when his snout collided hard with the wall.

"I've got only one question for you, wretch..." - T-Bone hissed in the ninja's ear in an ice-cold voice - "Where's Dark Kat?"

The ninja remained silent. T-Bone twisted his arm but the ninja didn't even flinch. Doc had trained them to support pain. T-Bone twisted it even more, nearly breaking the ninja's arm but the black-dressed kat remained mute.

"I see I need to be more persuasive..." - T-Bone whispered at the kat's ear. He remembered what he did to the other thug the other night and just how freaked out the kat was. Maybe it would work out with this one too. - "Say, have you ever flown with a missile up your tailhole?"

This time, T-Bone got the desired effect. The ninja looked back at him with a 'are-you-crazy' look in his eyes. T-Bone just grinned.

"Have you?" - T-Bone insisted, lowering his glovatrix.

"YOU FREAK!" - the ninja growled and jerked his head back, banging it on T-Bone's. The burly SWAT Kat let the ninja go and groped his forehead. The ninja took the chance and did a roundhouse kick that wiped the ground off of T-Bone. T-Bone just lay down on the ground, moaning in pain while the ninja escaped and disappeared in the night.

Seconds later, T-Bone uncovered his face and scanned the alley, still lying on the ground. He didn't see or hear any movement other than the rain, drumming on his chest. He got up and inspected the alley. Only the two other ninjas were there, still out cold. He checked the visor on his glovatrix. In seeing it showed a blip, T-Bone's lips spread apart in a grin. - "That's it, tough guy... Lead me directly to your master...".

T-Bone quickly dragged the limp forms of both ninjas to the entrance of the alley and placed the bags of money from the bank near them. The Enforcers were finally coming to the crime scene. He could hear the sirens of the cruisers. Heading back to the alley he climbed up the fire escape and entered into the TurboKat, gunning its VTOL engines and switching, seconds, later to the rear ones.

Once more, he fought against the storm, which had gained a new force. Lightning bolts crisscrossed the pitch-dark skies all around the black jet fighter. T-Bone inspected the radar screen in front of him. The storm was interfering with the radar but the signal from the homing device he had planted on the ninja while he had him pinned against the wall was strong enough to be read. T-Bone shook his head in disappointment. - "Why haven't I thought of this earlier? It's so much simpler!" - he sighed - "Razor would've thought of it in the first place before diving head first into a senseless pursuit... So much he has taught me and so much I haven't paid attention to him..." - he looked straight ahead, staring beyond the glass of the canopy - "Hold on, buddy... I'm comin' ..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Dark Kat sipped a bit of the red whine from the stemmed crystal glass as he finished his meal. He hadn't eaten since breakfast and even him was hungry now. He got up and inspected the tall grandfather clock in a corner of the room. It was a quarter to eight p.m. With the glass once more full of wine, he went to the fireplace, where the flames were still lending their warm orange and red light to the salon. The fire, however, was dying out and soon enough the entire room would be immersed in darkness. 

Though Farrell Manor had electricity and inclusively had a set of power generators in case of a power outage, Dark Kat only seldom used electric lamps. The library was the only place where he would always use an electric lamp because of the books.

Dark Kat loved this mansion. It was his. The only place in the world he truly possessed. It was *his* and no one would take it away from him. It was his headquarters, yes, but most of all, it was the place he called home.

The flames in the fireplace died out even more. Dark Kat wasn't thinking about the house now. His mind was busy with other subjects. Like the money he would win with Razor. He predicted every kat would bet against the SWAT Kat now that only the most powerful villains of Megakat City had remained. Obviously, he would bet on the SWAT Kat and all the money of the bets would go to his pocket. And, the greater the show the SWAT Kat would give to the audience, the higher the bets would rise and more money he would gain. Not that he needed. He had a lot of it. He managed to feather well his nest before he became what he is today. Nevertheless, more money was always welcome. And, he would need a lot of it if he intended to take over Megakat City. Later, when the entire planet stood under his Pax Nigrufelina, money would be abolished. But, until then, he would have to use it.

He went to the tall window once more and once more stared at the stormy night. The storm was near its peak and the branches of the trees in the garden outside were shaken violently by the heavy gusts of wind and rain. The purple kat raised the glass to his mouth and drank some more wine, letting it stay in his mouth for a while, savoring it, before swallowing the refreshing fluid. A lightning bolt crossed the skies and illuminated the purple face. Someone knocked at the door just before the roar of the thunder was heard.

"Come in." - Dark Kat said in a calm voice. One of his ninjas stepped inside the room and bowed to the purple crime overlord, who had his back turned to the black-dressed kat.

"We have the other she-kat, milord." - the ninja announced.

Dark Kat's eyes glowed slightly for a brief moment - "Put her together with the other she-kat." - he ordered and sipped another gulp of wine. - "Now, leave."

The ninja did as he was ordered, leaving Dark Kat alone again. The huge kat drank the rest of the wine and headed for the fireplace again. The room was practically in the dark for the fire was extinguishing fast now. He retrieved the vial with Razor's blood from a pocket in his robe and stared at it. The test tube reflected the faint red light from the dying out fire. The dark red fluid inside the vial seemed black in the semi-obscurity.

"My enemy's blood. How many times have I had his blood on my paws, covering my chest, sprinkling my face?" - he took the cork out of the tube and raised it to his eye's level - "His blood is red, thanks to the iron present in the hemoglobin. My blood is black like the night. Even that... Even the color of my blood was taken away from me..."

He crouched and put his arm into the fireplace. Only one tiny flame burned in a singed log. Slowly, Dark Kat poured Razor's blood over the flame, putting it out and immersing the room in complete darkness. After emptying the vial he threw it to the ashes.

"Either way, the SWAT Kats die tonight..." - he muttered. The purple kat rose from his crouch and walked to the door, opening it and leaving the room.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

TO BE CONCLUDED...

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Musical inspirations:

Bomfunk MC's _Freestyler_ for the fighting sequences, namely those with Razor;

Andrew Gold's _The Trouble Man_ for the solo sequences of T-Bone/Chance;

Vangelis' _Shadow and Light_, from their album _1492 - Conquest of Paradise_ for the solo sequences of Dark Kat.


	4. THE TOURNAMENT - Part Four

TITLE: THE TOURNAMENT - PART FOUR

AUTHORS: C. L. Furlong & Felicia McFurry

DATE: October 27, 2001

FINISHED: October 31, 2001

FINAL REVISION: November 01, 2001

E-MAILS: 

Chance_lizard_furlong@aeiou.pt

Riochet@msn.mail.com

RATING: R for violent content

SUMMARY: The quarterfinals are there and Razor has enrolled in them. Will he manage to survive the most evil villains of Megakat City? And, can T-Bone reach Farrell Manor in time to save his friend? What secrets lay beneath Dark Kat's cape?

DISCLAIMER: SWAT Kats and anything related to the series is property of Hanna-Barbera. No infringement is intended and no profit is gained with this fiction.

COMMENTS: ::puffs:: Finally we've reached the end of the Tournament saga (yeah, I think I can call it a saga, can't I). The end? Well, not quite. The Tournament will continue but the current story ends here. There's just too many loose ends I purposely left to wrap up, especially concerning Dark Kat's past, for the entire plot line to end here. Anyway, this is the final episode of the Tournament saga, all the big fights will be fought here and... maybe there's a little surprise awaiting... Read on and, hopefully, enjoy the fic! Once more, I have to thank my co-author Felicia for the delicious ideas she threw in. Once more there's that warning about violent content. And, once more, I reiterate that this fiction, just as well as the rest of the Tournament saga is unrelated to my regular "Final Resistance" series. C. U. all, SK fans!

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

THE TOURNAMENT - PART FOUR

Dark Kat headed down to the catacombs, to Razor's cell. He opened the door and stood at the entrance. The orange glimmering glow of the torches burning outside invaded the exiguous cubicle. Dark Kat found Razor sitting in lotus position on top of his cot. The tray beside him was empty.

"Is it time?" - the slim SWAT Kat asked. Dark Kat nodded. Razor jumped from his cot to the entrance of the cell. Dark Kat stepped aside and allowed Razor to leave his cell, after what he closed the heavy wooden door. Both kats fell into a steady pace as they left the corridor and headed upstairs.

"You know that what you have been through until now..." - Dark Kat stated - "...is nothing compared with the fights you'll have next, don't you?" - Razor just nodded and they proceeded in silence for a while.

"Why did you ask that?" - Razor queried.

"Because I want you to know that your adversaries won't hesitate in killing you in the ring."

"Why do you care?" - Razor asked, slightly dumbstruck with Dark Kat's behavior.

"I... You also know the next bouts will take place in another arena, don't you?" - Dark Kat asked back.

"Oh? I did not know that! Where?"

"You'll see."

Both kats reached the room where the try-outs had been fought. Dark Kat approached the huge tapestry that covered most of the wall opposite to that where the board with the fights stood. The purple kat reached for a cordon with a tassel in the end and tugged it. The tapestry slid in a metallic groove and revealed two big wooden doors.

"Whoa!" - Razor mumbled - "That's been there all this time?"

"Come. The fights may start any minute now. I don't want to miss a single bit!" - Dark Kat said to Razor as he opened up the doors and stepped inside. Razor followed the huge kat in his shadow.

The doors opened to a corridor with a few sets of stairs that descended, contouring the room to its right. Ten meters below, the corridor leveled and continued on for another dozen meters or so. Torches spaced from each other by five meters provided all the light in the passage. The walk along the corridor was, thus, a mix between walking in glimmering orange steps and pitch dark unknown ground.

They took about three minutes to reach the end of the corridor. Again, a pair of big wooden doors greeted them. Dark Kat placed himself against the doors and pushed, opening them with a loud clanging. A sudden light inundated the corridor, blinding both kats for a few instants. When Razor recovered enough vision he saw the room where the quarterfinals would take place and opened his mouth in awe.

They were entering in a big underground cavern, apparently dug under the mansion. Razor looked at the walls and recognized the shreds of mineral that appeared here and there. Agrecite. The entire cave was dug in a huge ore of agrecite. Obviously, most of the mineral had been taken out and sold. Now, all that was left of the solid deposit of agrecite were the walls, which still bore a few tons of the precious mineral left to extract. However, like every miner knows, part of the ore must be sacrificed in favor of the stability of the mining operation. That made the underground cave solid and prevented the mansion from collapsing onto it.

The next thing Razor noticed on entering was the thickness of the wooden doors. They were at least ten centimeters thick.

"Holy Kats! These doors must weight a ton and Dark Kat opened them up wide easily!" - he thought, widening his eyes and looking back to Dark Kat - "Just exactly how strong this kat is?"

Dark Kat kept walking and Razor followed always in his shadow. He looked around and saw there were some rows of benches made out of wood, as in a stadium. Razor opened his mouth slightly when he saw the seats completely occupied. In the whole there would be at least two hundred kats in there. Razor was so astonished with the cave he didn't notice that Dark Kat had stopped and bumped against him.

"Impressive, wouldn't you say?" - Dark Kat said condescendingly.

"Why are there so many kats in here?" - Razor queried.

"Afraid of the crowd? You'd better get used to it, SWAT Kat, 'cause they'll be all against you when you'll start fighting. Well, all the kats that lost the try-outs, with exception of those who died, obviously, are here. The rest of the kats are my 'guests'. I wouldn't allow every punk and thug of this city to get here, you know."

"But... there's so many... I've never fought with such an audience staring at me! It's kinda... frightening..."

"As I said, get used to it. You'll need your senses at full alert during your fights, else, you won't get out of the ring alive... And, I'm counting on you to win this Tournament! Don't fail me or else..."

"I know, I know... my family and my friends die..." - Razor said, drooping his ears.

"Go to the fighters' benches, over there and wait for your turn. I'm going to my place." - Dark Kat informed.

"Won't they try to kill me?"

"If they do, I'll interfere. You don't have to worry about that. No one cheats while I'm organizing the Tournament. Now, run along." - Dark Kat said and headed for his seat while the slim kat headed for the fighters' seats.

"Well, well... Look who's comin' ta join us!" - the electronic voice of Molly cut through the murmur of the crowd. The other contestants turned their heads towards the slim SWAT Kat and a few nasty smiles spread on their snouts.

"Well... If it isn't Dark Kat's protégé..." - Hard Drive said and walked to Razor, extending his paw to him - "Welcome to the side of the bad guys, goodie..."

Razor looked suspiciously to Hard Drive's paw. He didn't want to touch this electrified weasel...

"C'mon, SWAT Kat... Afraid of a little bit of static?" - Rex Shard intervened.

"Don't worry, SWAT Kat. I won't fry you... yet! I want to win this tournament so, it would be stupid of me to get disqualified now that I'm so close to victory, wouldn't you say so?"

Razor had to agree with the techno-creep. Of all the villains he had fought together with T-Bone, Hard Drive was the most reasonable of them. He grabbed Hard Drive's paw and shook it.

"This way I may be giving a sign I'm not afraid of them..." - Razor thought. He was right. Hard Drive hadn't fried him but he felt a discharge running through his body nonetheless.

"Next time it'll be a hundred times more intense, SWAT Kat..." - Hard Drive chuckled as he turned away and left.

Razor looked down to his paw. It was tingling from the small electrical discharge. He went to an empty bench and sat on it. He watched the kats in the seats above the level of the arena talking to each other. They seemed to be as surprised as the contestants were the first time they saw him. Over to his left, he saw a big front box and, later, he saw Dark Kat appearing in there and walking towards the front baluster and addressing the crowd.

"Dear contestants, fellow villains, dearest guests... Today takes place another edition of the Tournament. The try-outs have been fought and only eight kats remained victorious so far. These brave eight kats will now fight the decisive rounds of this prestigious tournament. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some bouts to the death...

Some of you may already have noticed one particular contestant, the SWAT Kat. The SWAT Kat is fighting under my flag, since he is my representative. Well, I think you all are more than eager to see some fights so I'll skip a long monologue. Instead, I'll only state that the Tournament is officially open! May the most evil kat win..." 

One of Dark Kat's ninjas jumped onto the elevated ring and announced the name of the two fighters of the first combat.

"FIRST BOUT: TURMOIL VERSUS HARD DRIVE."

The kats in the rows above Razor started agitating in a commotion that lasted for a few minutes, while both fighters climbed on top of the ring.

"Why so much commotion?" - Razor asked to nobody in particular, confusion filling his voice. Even so, Molly responded him.

"You've never been in such a competition, have ya? They're wagering."

"Wagering? You mean, we'll fight for money?"

"Sure we'll fight for money! For *their* money." - Shard stated - "We, the fighters, combat for the honor of being the most respected villain but the viewers bet their money on the fights as though we were nothing more than roosters. The Tournament means a lot for those who participate in it but it means nothing for the guests. I've seen many guests getting out of here rich whilst some of the fighters die or get crippled for life in the arena."

"Who caressssss? As long as it isn't me who diessssss..." - Viper intervened.

"Quiet all of you. The joust is about to commence..." - the skeletal sorcerer proclaimed as he sat in the bench and narrowed his only eye.

And, indeed the fight was about to start. Turmoil and Hard Drive stood on top of the ring, waiting for the sign of the jury. In the rows above the arena the kats also settled down, the bets being all made.

"_Hajime_!" - the judge bellowed. Just as soon as the judge said it, Hard Drive attacked with a powerful electric bolt. Turmoil, however, avoided it easily somersaulting to the side.

"You should change your attacks, Flicker. They're getting monotonous..." - she said as she finished the somersault.

"Flicker? You're talking to the kat who mastered electricity! Prepare to get deaf!" - he said as he charged up the surge coat almost to its peak and suddenly released a discharge around himself that made the air in the cavern resonate violently. The surge suit captured the discharge again so that little energy was wasted but the result of his action was the creation of the sonic boom of a powerful thunder.

The booming sound caught everyone by surprise and Turmoil, who was closer to the source, nearly had her eardrums blown off with the sound. She clutched her head, covering her ears, and knelt on the ground. Her ears were tingling from the sonic attack and she closed her eyes as she shook her head, trying to make the impression she had in her ears go away.

That was exactly what Hard Drive was hoping she'd do. Running to her, he kicked her hard in the face, sending her rolling over almost to the edge of the ring. She lay down for a moment, trying to catch her breath.

"C'MON! GET UP!" - Molly shouted. - "GET UP AND WHIP HIS TAIL!"

Turmoil opened her eyes and looked to Hard Drive, a rage burning inside her. She saw the tom running towards her. He was pretending to wipe her out of the ring with another kick.

"You just try and get me, kiddo..." - she whispered as she lifted her torso from the ring.

Hard Drive was already by her, drawing back his right leg to kick her in the stomach. In the last moment, she jumped up to her feet, leaving the techno-crook kicking the air and passing by her. In the same movement, she extended her right arm and Hard Drive slammed his snout against it, falling over his back onto the ring.

"YEAH! WAY TA GO, SIS!"

"C'mon, Flicker... Get up! Or did you have enough already? Huh? What did you say? You said you want more? Well, I'll be glad to *give* you more!" - Turmoil taunted as she stomped her foot on Hard Drive's gut, making him widen his eyes and gasp some saliva.

The tan-furred tom grabbed his stomach and curled in a ball on the ring. She raised her foot again and smashed it on Hard Drive's side, breaking a rib. A howl of pain echoed in the cavern.

"YEAH! That's it, sis! Whip his tail!"

"Cursed... you be... Turmoil... This... isn't over... yet..." - Hard Drive cursed under his breath and suddenly grabbed Turmoil's leg, releasing an enormous electrical discharge that made Turmoil fly over to the other side of the ring. She lay down on the ground, unmoving.

Hard Drive unstably got up to his feet, clutching his right side with his left paw. He staggered to her. He reached her limp body and extended his left arm towards her, preparing himself to shoot another bolt. His suit sparkled with electricity while he charged up his attack.

"Goodbye, Turmoil... It *wasn't* nice knowing you..."

"Thanks! And it still won't be!" - she said, widening her eyes and jumping up from the ground. Hard Drive was so astonished he didn't even defended himself when Turmoil performed a back flip that hit the techno-crook right in the chin, making him fall back.

"H-how... did you..." - Hard Drive stammered.

"Hah! I've received worst shocks when I was a foot soldier, Flicker..." - she knelt by him - "Say goodnight, Flicker..." - she said and punched his snout. The tan-furred kat passed out immediately and she got up to her feet and calmly hoped out of the ring.

"Yeah! You really showed him not to mess with a she-kat, sis! Gimme an high-four!" - Molly greeted Turmoil when she reached her. Both she-kats complimented each other.

"It wasn't easy, I have to confess..." - Turmoil muttered.

"Ah, toms are all a bunch a' wimps..." - Molly commented, slapping Turmoil on her back, a slap that almost made the she-kat tumble forward.

Meanwhile, Dark Kat's ninjas had retrieved Hard Drive limp form from the ring and another ninja had jumped onto the arena, announcing the next combat.

"SECOND BOUT: RAZOR VERSUS REX SHARD"

If the movement in the rows above Razor's head was intense the first time, now it was almost frantic. The shouts of both his name and his opponent's filled the air. Turmoil went in their way and leaned over Razor, kissing him in his cheek. She then headed for Shard and kissed him right in the mouth deeply.

"Well, hon... Was that a good luck kiss?" - Shard taunted her. She gave both toms a coquettish look.

"No. It's the kiss of death... Since one of you will fight me in the semi-finals it will most likely be the last fight you'll ever have..."

"Heck of a she-kat..." - Shard purred as he headed for the ring.

"You said it..." - Razor acknowledged, although the meaning he imprinted to his words was quite different from Shard's.

Minutes later, the bets were closed and both toms assumed fighting stands. Razor analyzed the bulk of his opponent. Shard was about the size of T-Bone and apparently equally strong as the muscles in his bare torso showed.

The judge signaled the beginning of the fight and both toms tensed their muscles even more. They circled around the ring, never letting each other out of sight.

"Get ready, SWAT Kat. I'm gonna make you fly again... Fist powered flight!"

"Are we here ta fight or are we here ta talk?" - Razor said as he lunged to Shard. The gray tom assumed a defensive position and prepared to counter-attack Razor's strike but, suddenly, the slim SWAT Kat disappeared from view.

"Huh? Where did he go?" - Shard asked himself, confused. Instinctively, he turned back and only with an extreme touch of luck he managed to avoid Razor's blow.

Recovering from his stupor, Shard prepared another attack, delivering a powerful uppercut to Razor's midriff, catching the SWAT Kat by surprise. Razor clutched his stomach and opened his mouth, trying to draw in some air but without his midriff functioning perfectly, that task was extremely hard. Shard took advantage of it and kicked Razor's face, eliciting some red spurts from his snout, which dropped on the white ring, sullying it in red.

Shard didn't give Razor time to recover. Instead, he attacked the slim kat constantly, not allowing the SWAT Kat to regain his breath. Razor was starting to lose his senses.

"Gotta pull... myself together... I've won over punks worst than Shard in the try-outs... I *can't* fail now!" - Razor thought.

He saw Shard drawing back his left arm, gaining momentum to punch him again. He saw the incoming fist and grabbed it tightly in his right paw at the same time he rose his left leg and suddenly extended it, ramming his foot on Shard's gut, making him widen his eyes and spurt some saliva. After that, Razor did a roundhouse kick that swept Shard off his feet. Rolling on the air, Razor rammed his knee on Shard's chest, breaking a rib and nearly breaking his sternum. Shard coughed a considerable gob of blood with Razor's blow and remained unmoving and apparently lifeless on the arena.

"Is it over?" - Razor murmured and walked out of the ring after the judge proclaimed he had enrolled in the semi-finals. - "Dark Kat wasn't kidding... This *was* tough... Shard didn't give me a single minute to recover... I hope I haven't killed him though..."

Two ninjas had retrieved Shard's body from the ring and were heading for the infirmary with him. Razor passed by Turmoil on his way to his seat. She grabbed his arm and hissed to him.

"You're dead, SWAT Kat... Rest assured of that..."

Razor looked to her and he could have sworn he just saw a tear running down her cheek. He noticed she kept looking to the two ninjas that were carrying Shard's limp form. The SWAT Kat just shrugged and went to his place.

Dark Kat, for his turn, was laughing inside his mind. All had happened just as he had planned. His guests had wagered against the SWAT Kat and he, obviously, had bet in Razor, so he'd won all the money of the wagers.

"With the SWAT Kat fighting on my side, I'd surely be the winner of this Tournament... and a few coins richer...

The next battle ensued. The ninja announced the third bout would feature Dr. Viper facing Chop Shop. The two fighters stepped onto the ring and the judge screamed _hajime_.

"Thissss will be a piesssssse of cake... I hadn't had a real opponent in thisssss Tournament ssssso far..." - Viper taunted Chop Shop, who just started laughing maniacally.

"You really don't know what I'm capable of, do you?" - he responded and lunged to the reptilian scientist.

Viper repelled the attack easily with the aid of his tail, slamming it against the spotted kat. Chop Shop was thrown to the ground with some violence but he readily prompted himself up.

"Is that all you can do? You're really gettin' old, Viper!"

"Come here!" - Viper hissed and motioned his tail towards Chop Shop, wrapping it around the pink-haired kat and bringing the kat to him. Chop Shop was tightly entangled in Viper's lethal grip and only one arm had escaped it. But it was all Chop Shop needed to do his trick. Out of the blue a razor appeared on his paw. He waited no longer and riveted it on Viper's tail. Green spurts of Viper's vital fluid dropped on the ring as the reptilian scientist made an unrecognizable sound, a mixing between a snake's hiss and a kat's roar. Viper let Chop Shop go and five more spears materialized on Chop Shop's paws. Viper saw the cutting projectiles rushing towards his body. He managed to avoid some of them but one pierced his left leg.

Viper knelt on the ground and took the spear out of his leg. Green blood gushed out of the wound and onto his paw. Viper looked to his paw covered in the warm green liquid. The corners of his mouth spread apart, revealing some impressive teeth. His eyes acquired a brighter glow and he looked directly to Chop Shop.

"That was your lassssst missssstake, wretch..." - Viper hissed and suddenly lunged towards Chop Shop, catching the spotted kat completely by surprise. Out of desperation, he managed to throw another spear that riveted in Viper's abdomen but that didn't stop the reptilian kat. Turning himself in mid-air, he slammed his tail against Chop Shop and sent him flying across the cavern to the galleries of the guests.

With his heart still full of rage, Viper jumped to the galleries after Chop Shop. On finding him, he snaked his tail around the tom's body and slowly squeezed the air and the life out Chop Shop. The judge bellowed _yame_ again and again, but Viper didn't care. He would only stop when Chop Shop was dead and not before.

Suddenly, a laser blast cut through the air and hit Viper on the back. Viper turned around and searched for the origin of the shot. He saw the blaster smoldering on Dark Kat's paws and snarled.

"Unless you want to be disqualified, Viper, put him down now and leave him alone. You already won the combat by ring out. Now you're fighting outside the ring and that is not permitted by the rules. Put him down now and go to your seat before I disqualify you." - Dark Kat warned.

Viper growled and pondered. Dark Kat was right. His bout was over and he could be disqualified for fighting outside the ring. But, in the other paw, that miserable kat had inflicted him some deep wounds and he would have to be taught a lesson he would never forget. In the end, reason won over the desire of vengeance.

"You want me to put him down, Dark Kat? Okay... I'll put him down... *Way* down..." - Viper said and threw Chop Shop to the ground below the galleries.

Chop Shop hit the ground hard and a pool of blood formed around his snout. Again, two ninjas dragged the limp body away to the infirmary whilst Viper jumped down from the galleries and headed for his seat.

"If this goes on like this the infirmary will be small for all of the wounded..." - Razor muttered. Surprisingly, Molly snorted with his comment.

Viper passed by them and sank on his seat, wheezing as though he was seventy years older. Razor saw a big area of the side of Viper's lab coat stained in green. Viper grabbed the spear Chop Shop had threw and pulled it out of the side of his abdomen. Razor saw the nasty wound the reptilian scientist had. Viper looked at Razor and showed his fangs, growling. Viper was behaving like a wounded caged animal and it seemed that anything could trigger his primal killer instinct.

"I can't imagine the pain he must be feeling..." - Razor thought as he looked to Molly and the PastMaster, who had, in the meantime, headed for the ring - "However he stands there, not even moaning... Like nothing had passed... I've never known this facet of the villains we fight... They must feel pain, of course... But they're brave enough not to show it... They're noble kats in their own way... Yes, they're evil but even they have codes they don't dare to violate. It's a twisted sense of nobility but a sense of nobility nonetheless... If... If they all united forces... If they all united forces and trusted each other enough... I have no doubt that we'd be no match for them... The SWAT Kats, the Enforcers, any force at all would be completely annihilated by them... Now there's a creepy thought..."

"_Hajime_."

"So, how do you like to be lacerated, Lady Mange?" - the PastMaster oozed.

"Huh?"

"I asked you in how many parts do you want to be torn."

"You know what? I think you've been too much time with your snout buried in those books... Speakin' of time, what time is it anyway? I'm feeling hungry for bit of juice..." - she said as she snatched the watch out of the sorcerer's paw.

"HEY! Give me my watch back!" - he growled, lunging to her. She stopped him with her foot, keeping the skeletal gnome away from her.

"Oh, look! Pastie's lost his watch..."

"My patience is growing thin like an ectoplasmic effluvium, she-kat! Hand my watch over!"

"Buzz off, you freaky little gnome!" - she said as she kicked the skeletal hooded figure away from her. The PastMaster stumbled back a few feet before steadying himself on his feet. He looked to Molly with a look that could kill a dead body at least a hundred times.

"When I demanded my watch back you should have handed it over to me, she-kat... Now you shall suffer the consequences... You should know that even without my watch I still possess sufficient power to deal with helminthes like you!"

"Say that again? Did you forget that your spells can't affect me? I'm a machine, duh! Well, I guess this will be another watch for my collection."

That apparently was the last straw for the hooded sorcerer. He lunged to the she-Metallikat in blind rage, growling an unearthly sound.

"I WANT MY WATCH BACK, YOU BAREFOOTED PORTRAYED SHE-KAT!"

The PastMaster clutched her wrist and tightened the grip around it, piercing the cold metal alloy with the claws of his skeletal fingers. Amazingly, the metal started denting and twitching under his fingers and seconds later, sparks started coming out of Molly's wrist. She let go of the watch and pushed the wizard aside, rising her paw to her face and inspecting the damages the hooded gnome had inflicted her.

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS, YOU FREAKY LITTLE GNOME!" - she bellowed and ran to the hooded skeletal figure. In the meantime, the PastMaster's watch had been repossessed by its rightful owner and he aimed the watch at the incoming Metallikat. He fired a burst of purple energy that hit her right in the chest, sending her back.

"Now who's taunting who, huh? Time to say _au revoir_, she-kat!" - he fired again, aiming now for the rips he had made in her wrist. The beam hit her precisely in that spot, generating a cascade of electrical events inside her metallic body that ended up with the destruction of her chromium-plated body.

"MOLLY!" - a shout was heard from the galleries above them. Mac jumped on the ring and stared unbelievingly at the remains of her wife. - "I knew you should have let me win that fight... Now look at you..."

"Ah, cut your yammering and get me the heck outta here before I lose all my func..."

"Molly? Molly, speak to me!"

"Mac, you're delaying the Tournament. Take the remains of your wife out of the arena so we can proceed, will you?" - Dark Kat informed in his booming voice. A ninja had entered in his box in the meantime.

"Milord, your informer is here to see you."

"Very well. Leave." - he said to the ninja - "Ladies and gentlekats, the Tournament will now perform a pause before we head on to the semi-finals. It will be served a light buffet for you in the meantime. Enjoy." - he said, addressing the crowd before retiring to upstairs.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Dark Kat entered inside the room with the tall window. The lights were out except for the fire burning in the fireplace. Apparently, the kat standing near the window had ordered someone to lit it up again. The kat stared outside, to the enraged storm which was on the peak of its violence now. The purple kat heard a sound like wood being broken, followed by a heavy thump. The kat just gave out an appreciative whistle.

"Enjoying the storm, Steele?" - Dark Kat boomed. Steele turned around just enough to look askew to the huge purple kat. A thunderbolt cracked outside, immersing his face in darkness.

"Yeah. It just ripped off one of your trees!" - the orange-furred kat responded, pointing outside the window with his thumb - "But, I believe you're not here to talk about the storm, isn't that so?"

"Direct to the point, I like that. You must be wanting your payment for having informed me about the leak in my organization just as well as letting me know what the Enforcers had planned for me, isn't that correct?" - Dark Kat oozed as he headed for one of his ninjas, who had accompanied the big kat.

"Don't forget I helped capture Lieut. Feral too. I want an extra for that."

"But of course you do! It's only fair!" - Dark Kat said as he opened up a briefcase his ninja was holding in his paws and started patting the packets of bills inside. - "How much did we agreed? A million?"

"*Two* millions, Dark Kat! Don't play dumb with me! And I said I wanted an extra for the capture of Felina, so make it three millions."

"You're surely kidding, aren't you Steele? You *really* are not thinking that I'll give you a million just because you turned on the lights of her caserne, are you? A bonus of two thousands would be more than satisfactory to you, *am I correct*, Steele?"

The way Dark Kat emphasized the last words made Steele start having cold sweats. He started thinking if he really wasn't pushing his luck too much with that megalomaniac. He already had two millions. He really didn't need any extra, especially that poultry sum of two thousands.

"I'd better take it now while I still have my health..." - he thought to himself - "Okay, two thousands as a bonus and we have the deal settled. Another thing: I want my money in cash! No checks."

"I wouldn't have thought you'd want it otherwise, my dear Steele. Here!" - he closed the briefcase and handed it to the orange-furred kat. - "Here you have the totality of your money. Grab it and get out of here. May I never lay my eyes upon you ever again, Steele."

"How do I know it's everything here?" - Steele retorted, grabbing the briefcase.

"Get out of my sight..." - Dark Kat hissed and left the room.

Steele just shrugged and gladly walked out of the room and the mansion. Already in his car, he engaged it into gear and sped away from the mansion. Everything was going according to his plan. Making Comdr. Feral fall in disgrace would be perhaps the final nail in the commander's coffin. His leadership of the Enforcers would be seen as incompetent and the situation would require the discernment of a new leader, no doubt about that. And, with both Ferals out of the way, the road would be free for him to step in as commander of the Enforcers, since he was next-in-line. And, to top it all, he still had a few coins to spend on him... Of course, an Enforcer Commander just *had* to be decently treated...

He patted the briefcase with his right paw as he drove off to the city, back to his apartment. The rain was pouring down in heavy sheets and even with the windscreen wipers working at their full rate, it was extremely difficult to see anything. As he focused all his attention on the road in front of him, out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw something blinking rhythmically inside the car. Risking the loos of eye contact with the road, he dared to look at the apparent source of the pallid red flare. In the darkness of the car, he saw that it was coming from somewhere inside the briefcase. Steele didn't stop to think. He took off the safety belt and kicked the car door open, throwing himself on the muddy path, rolling over on the ground and covering his head. Suddenly, the rhythm of the red flare altered and it started flickering rapidly. Seconds later, an explosion lit up the darkness of the night, destroying Steele's car. Pieces of the vehicle flew up in every direction. The transmission fell right next to Steele and the tires on flames jumped around him crazily. Finally, one of the springs hit him on the leg with all the violence gravity could summon. The bone wasn't broken but the muscle would have a bruise on it nevertheless.

"AAAAAHHHH! DAAAAAAARK KAAAAAAAAT! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!

Inside Farrell Manor, Dark Kat watched as the horizon lit up with a bright yellow and orange mushroom of fire. A grin spread across his face.

"Hope your insurance is paid up, Lieutenant-Commander... Don't worry, I'll send my condolences to your family... Once again, justice is served..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The black jet fighter struggled against the gale force winds and the electric discharges that lit up the stormy night sky. T-Bone was really having a fight on his paws when he noticed the flare of an explosion a few yards ahead of him.

"Hey! What was that? Better check it out... But, if I go, I risk losing the signal..."

After an inner struggle that seemed to last forever, T-Bone decided to go check on the explosion.

"There might be some casualties... I'm sorry, Razor... I know you'd do the same..."

The big tabby banked the jet to the right and headed for the spot. There he saw the remnants of the car, still burning despite the intense rain that was abating over the singed metallic carcass. He looked around but didn't see anyone.

"That's odd... The car is in the middle of the road and it hadn't crashed against anything. How come did it explode? Maybe... Could it be that there was a bomb inside the car? But who? Dark Kat? Why?"

Suddenly, a burst of static drove his attention back to the radar screen.

"Oh, crud! I'm losing the signal! Well, seems like there's nothing to do here, anyway... Whoever was unfortunate enough to drive that car must be roasted by now... Okay, where's that wretch going? West? I'm on it..."

The bluish backwash of the jet intensified and the fighter headed out of the spot, leaving a painful, wet and cold Steele hidden behind a tree. Not a few yards away from that spot, among the trees and in a flash of lightning, T-Bone saw Farrell Manor.

"So... It's there that you're hiding, huh? Oh, great, I'm outta radar... No matter... That *must* be the place... Hold on, Jake. I'm comin'"

T-Bone landed the TurboKat in a small clearing, so small that the jet had some difficulty fitting there. Slipping a glovatrix on each arm, the burly SWAT Kat left the jet by the bomb bay doors. The rain didn't lash his body so much while he stayed in the bush in front of Farrell Manor but as soon as he reached the periphery of it, both the wind and the sheets of rain hit the tabby with all their might. He scanned the mansion. It would be easy to break in and, at first sight, he didn't see any guards. He saw there was a section that had a tree in the yard that stood near the wall.

Nodding once to himself, T-Bone lunged to the wall of the mansion and fired a grappling hook as soon as he reached the wet and cold white barrier. The hook wrapped around a thick bough of the tree. Reeling himself up, he slipped one foot above the wall and jumped onto it. Partially protected by the foliage, he observed the yard. It was too dark even for his eyes to discern anything. However, in the flashes of a series of thunderbolts, he saw that the yard was nearly crowded both with ninjas and with creeplings. He observed their positions. The ninjas were invisible in the dark but the creeplings were barely visible. In another flash of lightning he saw that there was a pattern. Each ninja had at his right a creepling, so the little creatures were giving away the ninja's position.

"Decoy... The creeplings are showing so when I strike, the ninjas will fall over me from everywhere... I have to avoid physical contact. But how?" - he thought to himself.

T-Bone inspected the yard again. The ninjas were separated from each other by at least ten meters. In the middle of them stood a creepling. They had the yard almost completely covered and the trees were scarce in the yard. There was the one where he stood and another one right next to it but the other were all far away. The burly SWAT Kat could only think on one thing.

"I have to create a diversion of some kind... Let's see..." - he groped inside his knee pockets and retrieved a few explosives from there. - "The gifts I gave Turmoil... They can come in handy now as well..."

He retrieved four explosives and waited for another lightning. He'd have to throw the explosives high into the air so that they'd describe a high parabola and when they fell on the ground they'd seem to have fallen from above, not giving away his position. The flare of the lightning bolt would confuse their eyes enough to do the trick.

T-Bone took only a few minutes to distribute the four explosives through the yard. The little devices fell on the grass with a muffled thump but the roar of thunder masqueraded completely that sound. T-Bone prepared to push the button on his remote. His finger hesitated. Some ninjas would be severely injured by the explosions but... If it wasn't them it would most certainly be him who got injured. So he swallowed all ethics and pushed the button on his remote control.

An explosion lit the night before it made its roar heard. The nearest ninjas and creeplings were caught by the blast and the flames, falling promptly on the ground. The other three bombs blew up in sort order, seeding the panic and the turmoil along the rows of the enemy. T-Bone took the opportunity and fired a grappling hook towards the wall of the mansion. Tying the other end on the branch where he stood, he quickly covered the void of ten meters between the tree and the mansion, swinging his body as he threw his right paw to grab the wire, immediately followed by the left, then by the right again. In a few seconds, T-Bone had reached the wall and swung himself to the rooftop, where he lay down flat on his stomach, creeping towards one of the attics. He tried the windows.

"Closed... What a surprise... Oh, what the heck..." - he shrugged and lunged himself against the frame of the window, breaking it. Landing on the wooden floor of the attic, he rolled over, dragging some pieces of glass with him taht ripped his clothes and his skin. By now, all the ninjas at Farrell Manor were aware that he had gotten inside the mansion. The explosions had seen to that... Knowing he would be attacked by all sides now, the big tabby left the attic and entered in the corridor that lead him downstairs.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Dark Kat had just gotten back to his place in the cavern where the Tournament was being disputed when a ninja came to him and informed the purple kat that an intruder had penetrated Farrell Manor. Dark Kat just smiled.

"It must be the other SWAT Kat, just as I anticipated... Take care of him! Use whatever means are necessary but I want him killed on sight."

"It shall be done as you wish, milord." - the ninja said and left.

Meanwhile, the semi-finals were about to take place. Razor was close to the ring, warming up with some stretching exercises. Turmoil still remained on her seat. Dark Kat could see she wasn't a bit amused. In fact, she was looking to the slim SWAT Kat with a look that could just pulverize him.

"I wonder what caused that change in her humor?" - Dark Kat thought - "Well, we're about to discover if that is going to have any influence in her fighting skills."

In fact, a ninja jumped onto the ring and announced the first combat of the semi-finals.

"FIRST BOUT: TURMOIL VERSUS RAZOR!"

Turmoil went to her place at one side of the ring whilst Razor occupied his place on the opposite side of it. She narrowed her eyes and removed her cap, gloves and cape, throwing them outside the ring. Razor gulped. He knew she was going to give her worst and he already had seen what she was capable of. The slim kat assumed a fighting stand and so did Turmoil.

The judge screamed _hajime_ and they started the combat. Turmoil was the first to attack, running to Razor and jumping in the air. She was attempting to kick Razor with both her legs. The slim SWAT Kat jumped out of the way just in the last second only to jump towards her and deliver a blow to her side with his elbow, a blow that Turmoil blocked perfectly with her left paw. Razor immediately recoiled his arm and swooped his right foot high in the air, attempting to hit her in the face. Turmoil, however, did a back flip and escaped Razor's blow.

The SWAT Kat didn't give Turmoil time to recover and attacked her immediately, attempting a flying kick to her back when she was in the middle of her back flip. However, Turmoil had anticipated that move too and boosting from the floor to her left she made Razor kick only the air. Just as soon as she landed on her feet, she jumped again, delivering a roundhouse kick to Razor. The SWAT Kat managed to block her incoming foot with his right forearm. Immediately after her kick was blocked, she threw a punch to Razor's chest, which the slim kat blocked also with a movement of his left wrist, deflecting her strike. Both kats flipped backwards two times and lunged towards each other, clutching each other's paws and pushing.

"Heck of a fighter, Turmoil..." - Razor managed to say between pants as he fought against Turmoil's pushing.

"You're not so bad yourself, SWAT Kat. But enough push 'n' shovin'!" - she said as she threw her right leg towards Razor's stomach. The slim kat raised his knee and partially managed to deflect Turmoil's kick. Nevertheless, she still hit him on the side of his gut, making him flinch. She took the opportunity to give the slim kat a powerful headbutt, which made Razor release her fists. In a rapid succession, Razor's body was riddled with punches. A reverse kick made Razor be swept off his feet. Jumping high in the air, Turmoil pointed her elbow to the fallen SWAT Kat. Razor just saw a shadow descending on him and the next thing he noticed was a sharp pain in his stomach, followed by a gush of a warm fluid from his mouth.

Turmoil got to her feet again and raised her foot ready to stomp Razor on his chest. Razor noticed it and rolled out of the way just in time to avoid Turmoil's rushing foot. Boosting himself out of the ground, Razor stood up on his feet, his left paw rubbing the area of his stomach that had received the blow from Turmoil. The she-kat jumped again on the air and rolling on her side, she came down with her right foot on Razor. The slim SWAT Kat managed to block her strike and deflect it with X-crossed arms, using the same X-blocking low when she stroke a kick from below immediately after landing. As she did a roundhouse kick, Razor dropped to the ground and swept the ground off Turmoil's foot, making her fall over her back. She quickly flipped back to her feet and flipped backwards once, falling into a defensive stance. Razor flipped backwards once too and also fell in a defensive stand. They circled each other, slowly taking one step to their left and never breaking eye contact. Both kats were now drenched in perspiration and their chests heaved up and down wildly.

The crowd was frozen with attention. Even Dark Kat was deeply interested in the combat.

"None of them really has gained the upper paw so far... Let's see how this ends up..." - he thought - "Turmoil is strong and fast. She has the experience on her side. However, the SWAT Kat has the power of youth... I think the SWAT Kat hasn't shown us everything he can do yet..."

"You're ablaze tonight, Turmoil... Puttin' up quite a show..." - Razor taunted her.

"Putting on a show? I'll tell you what's putting on a show, SWAT Kat! Here!"

Turmoil lunged to the SWAT Kat once more. Razor did the same. Turmoil threw her elbow to the slim kat's chest, hitting it with all her strength and nearly breaking his sternum and eliciting a spurt of blood from Razor's mouth. Razor wouldn't let her stop him from praising himself, so he grabbed her head and pushed it down at the same time he rose his knee, ramming it hard on her snout. A burst of blood flew off from her nostrils as she jerked her head back and staggered a few steps back. She recovered just in time to see Razor's incoming right fist. With her left paw, she grabbed Razor's right hook, doing the same with Razor's left hook, locking both in another stalemate.

"If *any* kat's gonna win this combat, it's gonna be *me*!" - Turmoil hissed through clenched teeth.

"We'll see about that..." - Razor groaned. Surprisingly, Turmoil was winning this dispute. She pushed harder and started making Razor step back.

"You're finished, SWAT Kat! Why don't you just admit it?"

"A SWAT Kat's... *never* finished! HAH-YAH!"

Razor let Turmoil overpower him. She was thrown forward by her own impetus, falling over Razor. The SWAT Kat placed both feet on her solar plexus and thrust her over his head. Turmoil flew threw the air about a couple of meters and landed in a heap on the arena. Razor jumped up to his feet and ran towards her, jumping high into the air.

Turmoil opened her eyes and saw Razor do a half-twist of his body in mid-air and readying his right elbow. She couldn't get out of the way fast enough and Razor fell on top of her, attempting to ram his elbow on her stomach with all his strength. As she did try to escape, his blank had changed position and instead of her stomach, he hit her leg, breaking the bone.

A low growl was heard just after the sound of the breaking bone. Razor stepped back a little and he could see that the fabric around the area where he had hit her was turning dark red. Even with an exposed fracture, she got up and steadied herself in a fighting stance.

"This isn't over yet, SWAT Kat..." - she said as he limped towards Razor.

"This is insane, Turmoil! You're in no conditions to fight!" - Razor said, trying to call her to reason.

"What's the matter... SWAT Kat... Afraid I... might beat you..."

"Turmoil, please! Be reasonable!"

Her vision started to become unfocused. The pain was claiming its place in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. She shook her head in order to clear her vision. It was better. She took the two last steps towards Razor and attacked him. Even with a broken leg, she still attacked him and what a fierce attacker she still was. Razor avoided her blows not without a relative difficulty. She wouldn't stop even though the pain was overwhelming her fast.

"I'm sorry... This is for your own sake..." - Razor thought as he did a jump-roundhouse kick that hit her in the head with all his strength. She spurted some red saliva with the blow and fell to the ground, where she still tried to get up but, in the end, passed out.

"Razor is the winner by knock-out." - the judge stated and Razor walked out of the ring with his head abated.

"I won the combat..." - Razor thought to himself - "And, I have to recognize that this was the toughest fight I've had so far. But... why am I like this? Why am I not content to have defeated her? Why do I feel this ashamed? Just because I broke her leg? C'mon, wouldn't she have done the same to me? Wouldn't she have killed me if she had the chance? Then, why am I not feeling proud of myself? Why? Because she was a she-kat and I beat her? Well, she fought just as well as any tom... "

Razor went to his seat while two ninjas removed Turmoil's limp body off the arena. The once white ring now bore red and green stains here and there. A ninja announced the second bout of the semi-finals, which opposed Viper and the PastMaster. Razor watched as Viper rose from his seat and walked upright to the ring, jumping onto it. The green stain on his side had dried and now presented a dark green color. It seemed that the good doctor was as good as new but an analysis to his facial features would reveal that the pain still ravaged his soul.

"And yet, he's still going to fight... This competition must be very important for them..." - Razor pondered.

After the bets were closed and the judge had signaled the beginning of the combat, the PastMaster shot a purple blast from his watch that barely missed the reptilian kat. Viper passed by the red skeletal sorcerer and grabbed his robe, swinging the sorcerer around and tossing him off the ring. As it appeared that Viper would be the winner of the combat, a purple sphere surrounded the PastMaster and stopped him in mid-air. The PastMaster then 'conducted' the sphere onto the ring again. The sphere disappeared just as he touched the ground. Summoning his powers for another spell, the PastMaster produced a misty ambiance that impeded Viper from seeing his opponent.

"Where are you, you pessssky gnome? Show yoursssself!"

"Why, I'm right here!" - the sorcerer said as he unexpectedly came out of the mist behind Viper and passed his claws over the doctor's back, tearing big gashes that ran from the upper left shoulder blade down until his right side, staining once again his lab coat in green. Viper hissed with the warmness the injuries provoked and swiftly slammed his tail against the hooded sorcerer. Or at least that was Viper's intention for he only hit the misty air behind him.

"Darn! Where is that demented little troll?" - Viper thought as his sharp eyes tried to penetrate the dense mist. Suddenly, he heard an eerie chanting.

"Blood is red! Bruises are blue! My body is dead and so will be you!"

Another attack came, now from Viper's right. The target was his leg. Three claw marks appeared on his thigh, followed by a spurt of thick green liquid. Viper knelt on the ground, covering his bleeding wound with his left paw.

"Gotta end thissss fight now... Before it'sss too late..." - the reptilian scientist thought as he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

"What's wrong? Thee, worm, cannot fire anymore?" - the hooded sorcerer taunted Viper.

The reptilian kat didn't pay attention. Instead, he took his paw off his wound and raised it to his snout. His tongue slithered from his mouth and flickered over his blood-covered paw, scenting it. After spending a few seconds on that task, Viper straightened up and moved his tail in the air, ramming it against the ground of the ring. His bifid tongue entered and left his mouth rapidly. He did this various times. He was tasting the air with his tongue. At first, he tasted his blood once more. But it was a very intense taste. Too intense. He was tasting the blood of his own injuries.

"That'sss not what I'm looking for... He has my blood on his fingerssss. It must be a very little amount of it sssso I'm looking for a dimmer sssssssscent..."

He moved his head from one side to the other, his tongue slithering in and out of his mouth, savoring the dimmest tastes present in the air. Cheap cologne, sweat, fear, excitement, agrecite, Dark Kat...

"His *sssstench* is unmissstakable... But it'sss not him I'm after right now... I'm after... Wait! What'sss thisss? My blood! Behind me, at my left! It'ssss getting ssstronger! It'sss him..."

In fact, the PastMaster was heading for Viper from behind. He was so confident that the reptilian scientist would not be able to see him that he didn't fully comprehend what had grasped him so tightly. Only seconds later did he understood that he had been caught by Viper's tail. Seconds later, the face of the green kat came into view.

"Sssurprise, sssurprise..." - he hissed before he slammed the PastMaster on the ring at the same time his tail squeezed him with all the strength it possessed. The result of both strokes was the scattering of the PastMaster's bones on the ground. With one swing of his tail, he swept the red bones out of the ring and onto the ground outside the arena. 

Just as soon as the PastMaster was defeated, the mist started vanishing and seconds later, the guests managed to have a perfect view of the ring area. They saw Viper standing alone on the ring. Only moments later, they saw the red bones moving on the ground and starting to rebuild the old sorcerer.

"How did you find me?" - the PastMaster asked, confused. Viper just grinned.

"Sssecretsss of the condition..." - Viper said as he jumped out of the ring - "Sssay, how did you reform yourssself anyway?"

"How do you modern kats say? Ah, yes! Duh! I'm a sorcerer, forgot?"

"Oh! Of courssse... Ssssilly me..."

Both villains passed by Razor in their way to their seats. Viper stopped in his track and came to the SWAT Kat.

"Ssssso... It'sss jussst between usss, SSSSSWAT Kat... It ssseemed it was predesssstined... Mark my wordsssss... I'll rip you apart from insssside out!" - Viper hissed and sibilated audibly. 

Razor didn't say a word. He was lost in his own thoughts. Although his resolve was to win the Tournament, truth be told, he had never expected to reach so far. Now he was in the final and he would have to fight one of the worst criminals of Megakat City, Doctor Viper. He inspected again the reptilian scientist, paying particular attentions to the rips in his back. As the wounds were visible through the rips on his lab coat, Razor could see that they were healing at a tremendously fast rate. Viper looked back over his shoulder and saw the SWAT Kat staring at his back, chuckling dryly.

"Amazed with my healing abilities, SSSSSSWAT Kat? It came all with the package... The sssame package that'll redussse you to a piessse of minsssed meat..."

"Don't count on it, you basilisk lizard..." - Razor retorted as he jumped out of his seat and started warming up again.

"Why, thank you! Though, I prefer to be called Viper..." - the green kat said and chuckled dryly, settling down on his seat and letting his metabolism heal his wounds. They wouldn't be completely fixed up by the time of the combat but, at least, they were being taken care of anyway...

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

The ninjas were nervous. They knew someone had penetrated their defenses and their master had told them it would be the other SWAT Kat but so far, nothing more had happened. Despite their efforts, they didn't found the SWAT Kat anywhere. The nervousness had made them resource to their supply of _Mini Uzi_ so, every ninja carried one of the semiautomatic assault gun.

Some of them were stationed at the main salon, guarding the entrances and the stairs to the upper floors. Suddenly, they heard something coming down the stairs and readied their guns to it. They just saw a little black metallic ball coming down the steps. It fell the entire stairway and stopped in the middle of the group that was guarding the stairs. They looked puzzled at the object until one of them noticed that it wasn't a ball at all but rather...

"GRENADE!" - one of the ninjas shouted.

They all ran away from it but it was too late. The grenade exploded and threw them all in the air, riddling the walls with metallic shrapnel, just as the bodies of the nearest ninjas.

"Missed me, guys?" - a burly figure asked from the top of the staircase.

"IT'S THE SWAT KAT! SHOOT HIM!"

Bulets rained in the direction of the stairs for a few seconds. When the shooting stopped, they realized that T-Bone wasn't there anymore.

"Where did he go?" - a ninja asked.

"Did we hit him?"- another queried.

Three Mini Spider Missiles fired from the candelabrum and wrapped the nearest ninjas on their threads.

"WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?"

"IN THE CHANDELIER! THE SWAT KAT!" - another ninja bellowed and aimed at the candelabrum, firing two rounds of bullets against it, making the adorn fall to the ground and shatter in a thousand pieces.

Two heavy nets fell over the remaining ninjas, arresting them. T-Bone came to them and inspected his preys.

"Guess you didn't miss me after all..."

"What just happened he... HEY! IT'S THE SWAT KAT!" - another ninja that had just appeared coming from another room, attracted by the noise of the shooting, said, aiming his gun and firing a round against T-Bone. The burly SWAT Kat had just enough time to get out of the way and roll on the floor, avoiding the shower of bullets that, instead of him, hit some of the ninjas that he had captured.

The ninja ran along the wall firing another round as he went. The empty shells littered the ground. T-Bone got up and ran towards a piece of furniture in order to have some protection. He reached it in safety but the ninja fired until his clip was empty. T-Bone heard the sound of the empty clip falling along with the empty shells. He promptly rose from his hiding place and aimed both glovatrixes at the ninja, firing two Mini Octopus Missiles.

The ninja got out of the way just at the last second and started running along the wall again. T-Bone ran along the wall on his side too. The ninja managed to insert a new clip and fired a new round of bullets at the same time he jumped to hide behind a piece of furniture. T-Bone did the same, firing missile after missile from both glovatrixes. At the last moment, a Mini Spider Missile hit the ninja just before he reached the safety of his hideout, wrapping its strings around the body of the black-dressed kat. T-Bone rolled over when he landed and stood up to his feet. He felt the outer side of his right biceps burning and inspected it. A bullet had just grazed over it, leaving a bleeding wound.

"Crud... Gotta be more careful!" - he thought.

He ducked when the cement flew off the wall behind him. At the stairs stood another ninja with a shotgun on his paws instead of the assault gun. He fired again, but the tabby ran towards the black-dressed kat in a zigzagging pattern. It was hard to hit a moving blank, T-Bone thought. Meanwhile he got closer to the ninja.

"The SWAT Kat's approaching! I can't let him reach me! Huh? Where did he go?" - the ninja thought.

In fact, T-Bone had just disappeared from sight and the ninja was desperate, trying to locate the burly tom.

"Where did he go? Where did he go?"

"Right by your side!" . T-Bone growled with an intense fire raging in his eyes. He kicked the shotgun from the ninja's paws, which described a circle in the air and went right to T-Bone's paws. He rested it on the ninja's back and prepared to press the trigger. His finger was itching to shoot that bastard but even so he hesitated. Aiming lower, he shot the ninja on the leg instead, making him fall on the ground, clutching his injured leg and screaming in pain.

"Effective but crude... Definitely not my style..." - he said and headed downstairs again. Using all the stealth he could, he ran through the maze of corridors, wiping out the ninjas that stood there. He finally reached the room where the try-outs were disputed earlier.

"Aw, crud... This room is crowding with ninjas and creeplings! Well, if there are so many thugs in here, then I must be nearing the place where Razor is kept... What do I do know? I can't face them all... Crud..."

The sound of a gun being cocked and the feeling of its cold muzzle being rested on his nape were the reasons for T-Bone's last comment.

"My score's about to rise up by fifty points..." - the ninja started. T-Bone threw his left paw to the ninja's arm, the one that aimed the gun to his head, and in one swift move, tossed him inside the room, making the ninja knock against two others, falling all to the ground.

"I never thought *that* would work..." - T-Bone thought - "But now I've lost the element of surprise..."

"IT'S THE SWAT KAT! FIRE AT WILL!" - one of the ninjas bellowed.

T-Bone ran inside the room and jumped onto the air, pouncing at the ninjas and trying at the same time, to avoid the bullets shot against him.

"IT'S MAYHEM TIME!!!!!" - T-Bone screamed as he applied a roundhouse kick to two of them. Just as soon as he landed, he jumped again, firing Mini Baby-Boomer Missiles at the ground in front of the ninjas, making pieces of wood as well as kats and creeplings fly everywhere. He landed and he had to fight against three of them at the same time. With a couple of powerful punches, he managed to reduce that number to two. However, for each ninja the SWAT Kat abated, it seemed that three more would appear to substitute the other.

"Crud... I have to end this soon... Else I'm doomed!"

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Meanwhile, the Tournament had made another break. One of his ninjas had entered his box and was holding a private conversation with the purple kat.

"It's secure, milord. The majority of the guests will bet on your fighter now. They know Viper is a tough nut to crack but they have seen the SWAT Kat in action and now believe that *he* will win over Viper, sir."

"I expected it as much..." - Dark Kat said in a low tone - "Be sure that *all the kats in here bet on the SWAT Kat. I'll take care of the rest."

"Immediately, milord." - the ninja saluted Dark Kat lowering his head and placing a closed fist on his chest, after what he left the purple kat's box.

"Everything goes as I planned... Soon there will be no more SWAT Kats to bother me..." - Dark Kat thought, chuckling for himself.

He looked down on Razor, who was still exercising outside the ring. He observed the kat with attention. He had a strange feeling every time he looked to Razor. Again, he was having that strange feeling. Razor looked directly to Dark Kat and the purple kat flinched almost imperceptibly.

"Such innocence... Such innocence in those eyes! However, such sadness also... He appeared to have witnessed much more than he really should..." - Dark Kat thought as his pupil-less orange eyes met Razor's black eyes - "He would have been about your age now..."

Surprisingly, a tear streamed down Dark Kat's face. He immediately rose from his seat and headed out of his box and down to the arena, wiping out his tear in the way down. He went to Razor.

"I must have a talk with you, SWAT Kat." - Dark Kat said, placing a massive arm over Razor's shoulders.

"What is it?"

"I want you to lose this battle."

"What? Are you kidding me? I've come this far to lose in the end? Don't you trust me? I know I can take him!" - Razor queried, dumbfounded. Dark Kat silenced the slim kat with a simple look of his eyes.

"I know just all too well that you can take Viper down, especially now that he's injured. However, I want you to lose this combat."

"But why? I thought you'd want to win the Tournament!"

"Don't question my orders, SWAT Kat! Simply comply!"

Razor fumed. He knew he had to obey, else, his loved ones would die.

"Alright... I'll do it..."

"Another thing. You mustn't throw yourself out of the ring just as soon as Viper hit you the first time! I want you to put up a good show for my guests... You have been warned, SWAT Kat. Don't disappoint me..." - Dark Kat stated and with a swirl of his cape, walked away to his seat.

"Put up a good show for the audience?" - Razor thought - "Meaning what? That I won't be able to at least defend myself?"

The slim kat's eyes turned from challenging to desperate as he looked to Viper, still in his seat. The green kat was checking his wounds. They appeared to be almost healed. Viper looked up to Razor and slipped a clawed finger over his throat, grinning. Razor just gulped.

"I'm doomed... If I can't defend myself, I'm gonna die in the ring... Viper will see to that..."

"Ladies and gentlekats, the most awaited moment of this Tournament is about to start!" - Dark Kat's voice echoed in the walls of the cavern as he spoke through the microphone - "The final match is about to begin. And what a thrilling combat this will prove to be. The SWAT Kat will face Doctor Viper in a duel that might very well end with the death of one of the contenders! The fighters may step onto the ring. Dearest guests, the bets are open."

Razor heard his name being screamed in the rows above his head as he went to the ring. It seemed that every kat in the room was betting on him. That made him narrow his eyes and ball his paws into fists.

"So, *that's* why he wants me to lose... And, he wants me to give them a nice show so that they won't suspect the combat is set up! As I won all my fights so far, the audience isn't expecting me to lose this one..."

The frenzy of the wagering died out five minutes later. As Dark Kat had expected, *all* the kats had bet on Razor. He, on the other paw, had bet on Viper, even though that had been one of the toughest things he ever did...

"Having to depend on that scum snake... But it will pay off..."

"_Hajime_!" - the judge screamed.

Razor assumed a defensive stance while Viper lowered his torso and waved his tail crazily in the air above his head. Razor gulped. He knew how the green kat was going to attack him. Suddenly, Viper leapt towards Razor, claws fully unsheathed. Instinctively, Razor dodged Viper jumping to the side. Just as soon as the green kat landed on all fours on the ring, he threw his tail towards the slim kat. Razor had to do a series of back flips in order to get away from Viper.

"You're fassst, SSSSSWAT Kat. But *that* won't ssssave you from my tail!" - Viper hissed and stretched out his tail towards the slim SWAT Kat once more. Razor narrowed his eyes when he saw the green protuberance rushing to him. In a swift movement, he not only dodged the tip of Viper's tail but also managed to snatch it. The reptilian scientist was surprised with the Razor's attitude and so was Dark Kat.

"Your tail can be used to bring your opponents to you, Viper but it can also be used to do *the opposite*! - Razor stated out loud and pulled Viper's tail with all his strength. Both Dark Kat and the entire audience were petrified when they saw Viper's body crossing the air, rushing to where Razor was standing. Letting go of Viper's tail and quickly assuming a fighting stand, Razor did a portentous jump-roundhouse kick to Viper's head when he reached the slim kat, sending him back to where the reptilian kat had come. The blow was so strong, Viper vomited a volley of green saliva. His body hit the ring hard at the same time the SWAT Kat landed on one foot, keeping the other retracted.

Viper looked up to the slim SWAT Kat, who still had his right leg retracted. The green kat rose from the ground, shuddering all the way up and turned around to face Razor. His jaws were tightly clenched and his powerful teeth were showing up menacingly. His golden pupil-less eyes glowed even brighter.

"You will pay for thissss humiliation, SSSSSWAT Kat!" - Viper growled, cleaning the blood off his chin with the sleeve of his lab coat. Suddenly, Viper opened his mouth wide and spat a gob of a sticky dark fluid towards Razor. The SWAT Kat ducked and avoided the shot, which hit on one of Dark Kat's guests right in the face. The kat started screaming as he felt his eyes burn, as well as his skin.

"Acidic saliva! Good aim!" - Razor mumbled as he looked to the unfortunate kat that became so agitated he ended up falling on the ground.

"Didn't they taught you not to turn your back on your enemy?" - Viper hissed as he wrapped Razor in a squishing tail lock. Razor was caught by surprise. Viper was squeezing the life out of the slim kat.

"Crud..." - Razor thought - "That was stupid... I shouldn't... have let... my guard down... AAAAAAAHHHHH! He's... killing me..."

Viper lifted his tail high in the air and slammed the SWAT Kat against the ring time after time. Razor was rapidly losing his senses with the blows he was receiving. However, he wasn't about to let that creep kill him like that. Fighting the disgust, he opened his mouth and sank his teeth on Viper's tail, piercing and tearing a portion of the muscle. Viper roared out loud with the pain and let the SWAT Kat go. Razor rolled away and stood up to his feet, spitting Viper's blood from his mouth.

"You're gonna *pay* for that!" - Viper growled and with an astonishing speed, pounced at the slim kat.

Razor didn't notice what had happened until it was too late. His flight suit was torn open in his chest and a burst of red blood gushed out of his chest and splattered on the ground. Viper attacked again, this time aiming for Razor's right thigh. Another rip caused the vital fluid to exit from the slim kat's body and spatter on the ring. 

Razor knelt on the ground, breathing hard and bleeding badly. He looked up to Viper, who stood a few feet away from him. He stared as his blood dyed and dripped from Viper's claws onto the red matted arena. The snake-kat had a mischievous grin on his snout. Razor's vision was starting to cloud. He blinked twice and the feeling disappeared momentarily. Viper walked to him and rammed his tail against his side, making him roll and flung on the ground, leaving behind him a red smear. Razor was exhausted. He couldn't fight anymore. Viper went to him and turned his limp body around, so that his back were on the ground.

"Sssssay your prayers, SSSSWAT Kat!" - Viper hissed as he prepared to rip Razor's throat.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

T-Bone panted as he surveyed the room where the try-outs had been disputed. The floor was covered with empty shells, clips, guns, creeplings and ninjas. Thick droplets of sweat dropped down his nose and chin as he surveyed the bodies. Some of them were dead but it hadn't been him to kill them. They'd killed each other in their frenzy to getting the burly SWAT Kat.

With his G-suit shredded in many spots and a thread of blood flowing from a cut above his left eyebrow and from a few injuries on his arms, he headed downstairs, descending the faintly illuminated stairs that took him to the underground cavern. Although he used all the caution he could, a round of bullets met him on his way down. He promptly ducked as soon as he had heard the sound, dodging the shower of bullets. As he ducked, he fired two Mini Spider Missiles from a glovatrix in rapid succession. The missiles impacted against the body of the ninja and tossed him against the wall, nearly crushing his chest. Though fast, T-Bone couldn't avoid the bullet that grazed his left shoulder, together with a spray of blood. The burly tom fell to the ground helplessly, clutching his shoulder. Staggering up to his feet, the tabby continued his journey.

"Jake... Gotta get... to Jake..." - he mumbled as he fell into a steady march. Not far from where he had his last fight stood the heavy wooden doors of the underground cavern. He tried only half-heartedly to open the doors but they held in their place. - "Maybe they're locked..."

He tried harder and saw that the doors opened up a gap. The doors weren't locked but their weight was so big that they needed a strong push to be opened. And that's just what T-Bone did. Using all his strength, he opened up the doors wide.

The sight that greeted him was not indeed a pleasant one. He saw Razor, lying in a pool of blood. Leaning over him was Viper, readying himself to rip Razor's throat.

"Razor!" - he whispered as he stared to the ring, not able to move a muscle. Then, as though something had snapped inside his mind, T-Bone lunged towards the ring, roaring.

Viper never really understood what had happened. He just saw a tom in a blue suit hopping into the ring, roaring like a savage. The next thing he knew, that tom had lunged towards him, knocking him away from his prey.

T-Bone grabbed Viper's lab coat by its collar and stroke a huge blow to the green kat's face, eliciting a spurt of greenish saliva from his mouth. After that, T-Bone rose the good doctor's body high over his head and walked to the edge of the ring, from where he tossed Viper with all his strength to the ground. Viper hit the ground with his head and immediately passed out.

Razor was astonished to see T-Bone there. He had a besotted look on his face, as though he didn't fully comprehend how did T-Bone get there or what he was doing there. Then, as the facts slowly seeped in his clouded mind, he smiled and lifted his torso from the ground, standing on his elbows.

T-Bone turned and ran towards Razor, a worried look plastered on his face. He knelt on the floor and placed an arm behind Razor's back, supporting him.

"Razor... Razor are you alright?"

"T-Bone..."

T-Bone didn't allow Razor to tell him anything. He embraced his friend in a suffocating hug, resting his chin on top of Razor's head. Razor did so too, his face buried on the burly tom's chest.

"I thought I'd never see you again, Jake..." - T-Bone whispered as a few tears soaked his mask and ran down his facial fur.

"I thought I'd never see you too, Chance... Oh, Chance, it's so good to be with you again..." - Razor murmured, his voice lost in tears.

Dark Kat surveyed the happy reunion from his seat. He didn't like that a single bit. Yes, he had anticipated that such a thing would happen, that his ninjas would be incompetent enough so as to let one single kat escape from their clutches. Okay, so this wasn't an ordinary kat, it was a SWAT Kat. No, it was an enraged SWAT Kat in a quest to rescue his partner but even so, they should have been able to take him down.

However, his ninjas' incompetence was the last of his worries now. The bigger one was the fact that his guests had paid to see a fight to the death and now they wouldn't have one and he would have to return all the money of the bets to their respective owners. But Dark Kat wasn't the kind of tom to let himself be intimidated by such a turning of the events. After all, hadn't he anticipated this would happen? Snatching the microphone, he stood up and addressed the crowd in his thundering voice.

"Ladies and gentlekats, may I have your attention, please?"

Every head in the joint, including both T-Bone's and Razor's, turned to face Dark Kat. Both SWAT Kats stood up to their feet, Razor having a little more trouble doing so.

"Dearest guests, I have reserved a surprise for the end of this years' Tournament. After all the fights you have witnessed I ask you: did you really saw a fight that truly filled your measures? Have you experienced entertainment seeing two of your colleagues fight? Well, *I* wasn't too pleased to see my fellow villains blowing each other's tail. But now... Now we have a *true* show of the purest entertainment! For your leisure, ladies and gentlekats, the *SWAT Kats* will fight amongst themselves... *to the death*..."

"What?" - both T-Bone and Razor asked in unisson.

"Yes, ladies and gentlekats... The famous and *hated* SWAT Kats will be engaged in a mortal combat from which only *one* shall come out victorious... If one can call killing a friend victory..."

"Forget it, Dark Crud! I'm taking Razor outta here and nothing will make me fight him! However, if you want to take his place, I'd be happy to CLIP YOUR STINKING TAIL!" - T-Bone bellowed. Dark Kat just chuckled.

"I anticipated you wouldn't fight your friend, SWAT Kat..."

"Aw, cut that out, will you? Why don't you just admit you made this fighting stuff up just to get yer tail clear?" - T-Bone said, pointing to the purple kat.

"So, I took the precaution of 'inviting' two precious she-kats to see your fighting abilities." - he oozed as two of his ninjas motioned a tied up Callico Briggs and an also tied up Felina Feral inside Dark Kat's box. Both SWAT Kats gasped when they saw the she-kats and the _Uzi_ pointed to their heads.

"Callie... Callie..." - T-Bone gasped. Razor noticed it and placed a paw on the tabby's right shoulder. T-Bone looked down to his partner. - "He's got my Callie... He's got my Callie, Jake..." - he shrieked out not louder that his breathing.

"I know, but be calm... Else we won't be able to save them..."

"So, SWAT Kats? What's your final answer? Remember that you already spent your fifty-fifty and life line aids... And the audience is voting for answer A: fight!"

"Your humor stinks, Dark Kat..." - Razor commented. He turned to T-Bone and pushed him aside.

"Razor, what's got into you?" - T-Bone asked, dumbfounded with Razor's rudeness.

"C'mon, what're you waitin' for? Fight me!"

"R-Razor? What the..."

"C'mon, T-Bone! What're you waitin' for? It's the only way to save Callie and Felina! C'mon, hit me!"

"Razor, there must be another..."

"THERE IS NO OTHER WAY, T-BONE! Dark Kat had this planned since the beginning and we fell on his trap like two sitting ducks! NOW FIGHT ME!"

"I won't..."

"What's the matter, T-Bone? Afraid I might punch your freaky little face?"

"Razor!"

"You're nothing but a fraidy kat, T-Bone! Yeah, a scaredy kat! Even Scaredy Kat's braver than you are!"

"Razor, you're crossing the line..."

"Oh, look at me, I'm T-Bone..." - Razor said before mimicking a chicken.

"Razor, cut that out!"

"Afraid of water still? Afraid of bugs still? Hah, you're not a tom, you're nothing more than a sissy, T-Bone!"

"THAT DOES IT! CUT THAT CRAP NOW, RAZOR! I WON'T FIGHT YOU FOR ANYTHING!"

"Well, if words can't get you fighting me, maybe this will do! Hey, T-Bone! Have you met my knee?" - Razor stated out as he grabbed T-Bone's head and pushed it down, ramming his knee against it. The strike was so big that a gob of blood spurted out from his nostrils.

T-Bone fell on the ground while Razor stepped back and readied himself for another strike. He narrowed his eyes. The pain emanating from the rips Viper had made was coming back on its full strength. The big tabby lifted his torso and supported it on one elbow. With his right paw, he cleaned the blood off his snout and licked it off his paw, spitting it later to the ground together with some more blood. An intense rage started burning inside him. He clenched his fists and jaws while narrowing his eyes.

"Big mistake, Razor..." - T-Bone growled as he got up to his feet and took off both glovatrixes and pouncing over Razor. Razor didn't try to escape from T-Bone's incoming punch, receiving the totality of the burly tom's blow. The blow was so big, Razor flew back a few feet, blood spurting from his nose. Razor rapidly stood up to his feet and deflected another one of T-Bone's blows with an X-blocking. T-Bone did a reverse kick that drew the air out of Razor's lungs and made him stagger back a few feet. T-Bone jumped into the air and rammed his closed fist on Razor's cheek. More blood splattered on the ground, followed immediately by Razor's limp form.

"What are they doing?" - Callie asked in disbelief. - "STOP THAT! T-BONE! RAZOR! STOP FIGHTING!

"YEAH! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" - Felina screamed - "YOU'RE FRIENDS! WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING?"

Neither T-Bone or Razor paid attention to their pleads. They were too busy hitting each other. T-Bone, who was fresher and not so mangled as Razor was actually getting the upper paw. He had Razor on the ground and lifted the slim kat's head pulling at his collar, after what he rammed his fist on Razor's face, letting the collar go which made Razor's head to bang on the floor.

After a few more punches, Razor's face was covered in his own blood. His eyes were unfocused and he would pass out at any moment now. T-Bone was literally killing him. His heartbeat was very accelerated. His mind was becoming fogged and he started to see the corners of his vision turn black.

T-Bone stopped punching Razor's head but held his torso up from the ground tugging at Razor's collar. Razor barely had strength to keep his head up. Tears started soaking his mask.

"Come on..." - he said in a wheezing voice - "Finish me off, T-Bone..."

T-Bone drew his arm back. His face was contorted in a determinate grimace.

"C'mon, T-Bone... Kill me... It's... the only way... to save them..."

The tabby hesitated. Tears started trickling down Razor's facial fur.

"It's... the only way... to save her... You have... to kill me..."

"Razor..." - the tabby whispered, his arm still drawn back.

Dark Kat was also tense. In one paw, he wanted the SWAT Kats killed. But... in the other paw... There was that feeling again. He didn't want anything bad to happen to the slim kat.

"What the heck is this? Am I growing soft? Can't I stand seeing an execution any more? Well, I *am* the most stonehearted villain of this city! I can't flinch now!" - the huge purple kat thought, clenching his jaws - "COME ON! KILL HIM ALREADY!" - Dark Kat bellowed - "IT'S ON YOUR PAWS NOW! KILL HIM! *KILL HIM*!"

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" - the entire crowd started screaming in bloodthirsty rhythmic unison.

"Kill me, T-Bone... It's... the only way... Please... Kill me..." - Razor begged, his voice not stronger than a whisper.

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"

"T-Bone, don't..." - Callie whispered.

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"

A tear dropped from T-Bone's eyes. His arm started shuddering.

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"

"Chance... Please... Kill... me... I... beg... you..."

The big SWAT Kat closed his eyes tightly and thick teardrops ran down his facial fur while he clenched his jaws tightly.

"I CAN'T!" - T-Bone bellowed, dropping his arm and his head to his chest at the same time he let go of Razor.

The entire crowd froze with T-Bone's scream. Even Dark Kat froze in his seat.

"I can't kill you, Razor..."

"Buddy... You must... For me... For them... For the city..."

"I can't, Razor... You're more important to me than the entire world... I can't, Razor... Forgive me, I can't do it..." - he sobbed and rested his face on his arms, which he had on top of Razor's chest. He started crying there, constantly apologizing and saying that he couldn't do it.

"Well, if you can't kill your partner, SWAT Kat, I CAN!" - Dark Kat said, snatching a gun from the ninja at his right and aiming it down at the fallen SWAT Kats. - "IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, THE SWAT KATS DIE TONIGHT!"

Just as he said that, there was a huge explosion that blasted the doors of the underground cavern, which had been closed in the meantime. Pieces and splinters of wood flew in every direction. Some of them riveted in the kats present in the cavern, killing them instantly. Dark Kat covered his face with his right arm and one of those pieces of wood riveted on his arm. He growled in pain and took the wooden shard off. The next thing Dark Kat saw was that several cans were being thrown inside the cavern and a white gas started spraying out of the cans.

"Feral! I didn't anticipate this! Tear gas! I'm out of here! And you're coming with me!" - Dark Kat said as he snatched Felina and placed her over his shoulder, running away from his seat. He reached the wall and pushed a portion of it, revealing a hidden passage.

"What the hell is goin' on?" - T-Bone said as he protected Razor with his body.

"Looks like someone else decide to wreck the party too..." - Razor responded after coughing twice.

"Where's Dark Kat? And Callie and Felina? I can't see them anywhere!" - T-Bone queried, alarmed.

"I can't see them too. Anyway, I seldom see anything with all this tear gas burning in my eyes!" - Razor said, rubbing his balled fists on his eyes, trying to clear off the tears.

"Hold on, I'm gettin' ya outta here!" - T-Bone said as he grabbed Razor and set him across his good shoulder.

"Ouch! Watch me, okay?"

"Sorry, Razor, but you'll have to suffer a little longer until we get our tails outta this joint." - T-Bone retorted as he jumped out of the ring and headed for the huge gap on the wall of the cavern that used to be covered by a pair of giant wooden doors. His eyes were also starting to burn and he wiped the tears from his eyes with his arm covered in clotted blood. As soon as they abandoned the curtain of gas, they practically knocked against the bulk of Commander Feral.

"What are you two, hotshots, doing here?" - he queried in surprise, out of habit - "ARREST THEM!" - he ordered his Enforcers but the twosome were already running down the corridor, away from the clutches of this present group of Enforcers.

"I wonder why were they covered in blood... Well, that's the last of my concerns now. That anonymous phone call was right after all. Dark Kat *knew* about my plans to break in Farrell Manor tomorrow..."

Suddenly, his radio crackled. He snatched it and answered.

"Commander Feral here. Over"

"This is Checkpoint Two. The SWAT Kats just passed by us like they had fire on their tails. What do we do? Over."

"Leave them alone. They're not our target at the moment. Focus only on this mission primary objective. Transmit these orders to Checkpoints Three, Four and Five. Over and Out."

"Ten-four."

"CEASE FIRE! LET'S BRING 'EM IN! ENFORCERS, MOVE IN!" - Feral bellowed to his kats as he took his blaster out of his shoulder holster inside his coat. Slipping his gas mask and stepping cautiously inside the cavern, he saw, between the pillows of gas, that the kats were all crouched, wiping the tears from their eyes. - "FREEZE! YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST!"

The frightened kats had no other choice but allowing the pawcuffs to be slipped on their wrists. Feral looked from one side to the other searching for Dark Kat. He looked at the big front box.

"He must have been seating there..." - Feral mumbled and proceeded towards it. When he reached it, he heard a weak voice coughing. - "Miss Briggs! Let me help you!"

Retrieving his pocket knife, Feral cut the ropes that bound the Deputy Mayor. She coughed a bit more and scrubbed her balled paws over her eyes, wiping away the tears.

"Are you alright, Miss Briggs?" - Feral asked her, helping her to get up.

"I'm okay now, Commander, thanks to you..." - she said in a choked voice.

"Do you know where Dark Kat is, Miss Briggs?"

"He... He ran away with your niece, Commander... I don't know where he went, though..."

Feral narrowed his eyes. That *blasted* Dark Kat had taken Felina away again... He called one of his kats and instructed him to take care of the Deputy Mayor and give her anything she asks. He then headed out of the cavern, a raging fury burning in his soul.

"No you won't you miserable rat. I know just where you're heading!" - Feral thought as he got out of the cavern and raced upstairs. The kats he had placed on those strategic points had revealed unnecessary after all.

When he burst out in the try-outs room, he addressed four of his kats to come wit him. He ran along the corridors stuffed with broken furniture and vases as well as with the limp bodies of some ninjas. Two minutes later, he finally reached that depressing room he knew and detested so much. The wooden doors were closed but he didn't slow down his pace. Readying his shoulder to support the impact, he knocked against the doors and opened them with a loud clanging. Just as he entered the room, he aimed his blaster at the huge dark figure outlined against the big window.

"FREEZE, YOU SCUMBAG!" - Feral shouted.

"I'd recommend you to think twice before saying something nasty to me, Commander." - Dark Kat oozed as he aimed his _Uzi_ at Feral.

"Drop your gun, Dark Kat! It's all over now! You're clearly outnumbered."

The four enforcers stepped inside the room and in front of Feral, where they knelt on the ground and aimed their own blasters at the purple kat. Dark Kat narrowed his eyes.

"Call your enforcers back, Commander. *All* of them." - Dark Kat demanded.

"You're in no position to make any demands, Dark Kat! Hand yourself in and let's avoid more blood shedding." - Feral retorted. Dark Kat just fumed.

"Avoid blood shedding? AVOID BLOOD SHEDDING, ULYSSES? LIKE YOU DID TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO?" - Dark Kat shouted, his chest filling with an unrestrained rage.

"That matter is closed..."

"NOT FOR ME IT ISN'T, ULYSSES!" - Dark Kat bellowed, his face contorting into a grimace of hatred. He gulped and sobered. - "Very well... Since innocents' pleadings met you deaf years ago maybe you'll hear your niece's!" - the purple kat said in a calm tone as he pulled a tied up and gagged Felina from behind the curtain of the window and used her as a shield. Feral narrowed his eyes until they were no more than thin slits with the purple kat's action.

"Call all of your kats back, Commander... Or more innocent's blood will be shed." - Dark Kat ordered in an ice-cold voice.

"Fall back and leave this house. That's an order." - Feral commandeered his kats after a few seconds of pondering. His kats had no other choice but to obey their Commander. Ten stressing minutes later, Dark Kat saw the enforcers leaving Farrell Manor with his guests and the participants of the Tournament arrested. Minutes later, they all left the mansion. Only Feral's cruiser was still parked in the yard.

"Let her go now, Dark Kat. All enforcers have left the mansion." - Feral demanded.

"Drop your blaster, Commander." - Dark Kat retorted. Feral did nothing and kept his blaster aimed at the huge kat. Dark Kat lost his patience and narrowed his eyes shoving the muzzle of the gun into Felina's temple. - "DROP IT NOW, ULYSSES!"

Feral had no other choice but to comply. He placed the blaster on the ground and tossed it over to Dark Kat. The purple kat stopped it with his foot and then kicked it aside.

"Your pawgun and pocket knife as well, Ulysses! And make it snappy!"

Feral did as he was told, placing the objects on the ground and throwing them to Dark Kat one at a time. Felina was surprised with the knowledge her captor had about her uncle. Even she didn't know about the pocket knife, so how come did that creep knew about it?

"Leave her now, Dark Kat. I'm completely unharmed. She has no fault of my actions."

"BUT THEY HAD, DIDN'T THEY, ULYSSES? IT WAS THEIR FAULT HAVING CHOSEN ME, WASN'T IT?" - Dark Kat shouted, letting the rage overwhelm him again.

"Calm down, Dark Kat. Anyway, you're going to be arrested. You don't want to be charged of the murder of an enforcer also, do you?"

"Who's the real murderer here, Ulysses? Take her." - he said as he motioned Felina towards her uncle - "Take her and get out of here. Both of you." - Dark Kat said as he headed for the window, turning his back on the Ferals. Feral still tried to reach for his blaster but all he managed was Dark Kat aiming his gun at him again. The purple kat had his jaws tightly clenched and his eyes narrowed. - "Get out."

"Why don't you just kill us both right here, right now?" - Feral defied. Dark Kat simply chuckled.

"No, Commander... Your death will come when *I* want... Not when *you* want... Now leave! Get out of this house and never return... For the next time we meet here might very well be the last, Commander... For any of us..."

Dark Kat saw as Feral carried Felina on his arms and headed out of the room. Minutes later, the purple kat saw both kats stepping outside the mansion. He saw Feral settling Felina on his cruiser and getting himself inside on the driver's seat. Moments later, the cruiser went out of the yard and headed for Megakat City.

Dark Kat contemplated the rising sun from the window. His home was a mess, the result of actions perpetrated by both his enemies. He turned around and passed his eyes on the room. It was the only room untouched, beside the library. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He'd managed to keep the money he won in the Tournament. He was still the number one villain of the city but, even though, his heart was empty... He went to the counter and opened one of its drawers, retrieving a passe-partout with a picture of a she-kat holding a kitten near to her. He kissed two fingers and softly passed them over the she-kat's face. He then stared at the kitten. A tear dropped from his left eye and fell on top of the kitten's face.

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

In the meantime, T-Bone and Razor had reached the TurboKat. T-Bone put Razor down. The slim SWAT Kat had managed to rest a bit and he could stand up on his feet already. T-Bone, on the other paw, was tired to death. Even so, Razor couldn't help but hug T-Bone once more. Nearly three weeks without seeing him was far too long and the same was true in relation to T-Bone. T-Bone embraced Razor once more even though he needed some space to catch his breath.

"Oh, Jake... I thought I had lost you for good this time... When I saw you flipping head over heels and falling lifeless and bleeding on the sand... I was so worried... Then I couldn't find you anywhere... It was awful..." - T-Bone commented.

"Hey, what do you think I felt when I woke up and saw you bleeding on the beach? Crud, I was so worried. Then those blasted ninjas dragged me away from you and Dark Kat kept me captive here... And, I didn't really know if you were alive or dead..." - Razor said.

"Jake, can you ever forgive me?" - T-Bone pleaded, kneeling on the wet ground.

"Chance, what are you doing? Get up! Besides, what is to forgive? That you're my best friend? That you nearly wrecked the city lookin' for me? That you almost got yourself killed to rescue me?"

"That I shot you, that I was imprudent, that I nearly pound you to death... I'm so sorry, Jake... I don't know what got into me..."

Razor smiled condescendingly to the big tabby - "I'll tell what's got into you, Chance... It was love... You finally found the she-kat you truly love... But, even so, you still would send that love away to save me... I have to say I'm flattered!"

"Hey, don't get cocky with it, Razor. I just couldn't bear to look at your face. Guy, I nearly reduced you to a fleshy pulp!"

"Hum, you didn't hurt me *that* much..."

"Yeah, sure! Then how come the tears?"

"Yeah? Well I wasn't the only one crying around, you know?

"Yeah, yeah, sure, sure, whatever. Let's just get in the jet and get outta here, okay?"

"Softy..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Minutes later, the TurboKat and its pilots reached the perimeter of the Salvage Yard. T-Bone pressed the button on the remote control that opened the door to the underground tunnel, flying inside. As the jet went through the runway, he decreased the throttle and unleashed the emergency chute.

"Ah, I can't wait to see the hangar again... Guy, do I miss the coolness of that place, my little workbench, my gadgets!" - Razor said from the backseat in a voice filled with joy.

"Huh, Razor, are you sure you don't wanna go immediately upstairs to rest? The garage is closed, no one would bother you." - T-Bone proposed.

"Thanks, buddy, but I really miss the hangar." - Razor said as he jumped onto the wing and carefully leapt to the ground, landing on all fours. He looked up and saw that T-Bone still was strapped to his seat. - "Aren't you comin', amigo?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna stay up here for a little longer... In fact, I think I'm gonna fly around a little bit more..." - T-Bone said as he closed the canopy and pressed the button that made the elevator platform descend. Razor just shrugged.

He saw the jet hurtling down the underground tunnel. He shrugged again and took off his helmet, heading for the lockers. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he walked.

"Ah, how I missed this smell of fuel and grease... It's divine! Oh, my beautiful gadgets, how I missed you! Yes, sir, there's no place like..."

He opened his eyes and looked at the sandbag on the ground, with the sand spattered all around the area. More to his right, he found a black hole in the place where had been once a giant screen, the shards of glass scattered around the machine. After comprehending what he was seeing, Razor widened his eyes and completed his sentence.

"...home?" - the reality finally seeped inside his mind and he furrowed his eyebrows, clenching his teeth. - "TEEEEEEEEEEE-BOOOOOOOOOOONE!"

Outside the Salvage Yard, T-Bone had the feeling he heard someone screaming for his callsign.

"Yup. I think I'd better stay up here for *quite* a while..."

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

THE END

--------------------S----------W----------A----------T---------------K----------a----------t----------s--------------------

Musical inspirations:

Bomfunk MC's _Freestyler_ for the fighting sequences, namely those with Razor;

Era's _Ameno_ guitar solo for the sequences when T-Bone penetrates Farrell Manor;

Era's _Impera_ for the fight between T-Bone and Razor.


End file.
